Iranian Movie Shot in Secret Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival

New York Times

24-05-2025

The sun was still shining when the 78th Cannes Film Festival came to an emotional, exhilarating close with the Palme d'Or going to 'Un Simple Accident,' from the Iranian writer-director Jafar Panahi.
The announcement was met with cheers and a standing ovation in the Grand Lumière Theater. Accompanied by his actors, some who began weeping, an equally moved Panahi kept on his sunglasses as he accepted his award.
A longtime festival favorite, Panahi had until recently been barred from making movies in Iran or traveling outside the country. Although the restriction has been lifted, he shot 'Un Simple Accident' clandestinely.
The movie tracks a group of men and women who join together after one of them kidnaps a man they believe tortured them in prison. Panahi, who has been imprisoned several times, drew his inspiration from stories he heard from other inmates while he was at Evin Prison in Tehran.
The Palme for Panahi capped what was widely seen as one of the strongest festivals in years. For some, the selections offered reassuring evidence that the art would continue to endure — and thrive — despite the problems facing the industry. Certainly, President Trump's recent threat to institute a 100 percent tariff on movies made in 'foreign lands' had cast a shadow over the opening ceremony. By the close of the festival, however, the bounty of good and great work had palpably buoyed spirits.
The Palme d'Or was decided upon by a nine-person jury led by the French actress Juliette Binoche. 'My friends, this is the end — it was such a show,' she said, turning to her fellow jurists, who included the American actor Jeremy Strong and the Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia. Given Binoche's auteur-rich résumé, it is perhaps unsurprising that this jury gave a special award to the Chinese filmmaker Bi Gan for 'Resurrection,' a delirious, elegiac journey through cinema history.
The director Coralie Fargeat ('The Substance') presented the Grand Prix, effectively the runner-up award, to 'Sentimental Value,' a wistful, visually playful family drama from the Norwegian director Joachim Trier, who is best known for 'The Worst Person in the World.'
'I'm very moved,' a very composed Trier said. Gesturing to the audience, he said that he shared the prize with his actors, including Stellan Skarsgard and Renate Reinsve, who play father and daughter in a story about art, family and the ghosts that haunt each. Like other winners, Trier praised Cannes for its commitment to the big screen.
The Jury Prize, presented by the American actress Da'Vine Joy Randolph, was split between two very different movies: 'Sirât' and 'Sound of Falling.' Sirât, from the French Spanish director Oliver Laxe, turns on a father who's searching for his missing daughter in Morocco and ends up stranded in a desert with some ravers. 'Sound of Falling,' from the German filmmaker Mascha Schilinski, is a visually exquisite ghost story that takes place over a century on the same sprawling farm.
The best actor award, presented by the Spanish actress Rossy de Palma, was given to Wagner Moura, the star of the Brazilian drama 'The Secret Agent,' about a man on the run during the country's military dictatorship. Its director, Kleber Mendonça Filho, accepted on behalf of the star, saying 'I love him very much.' Mendonça Filho returned to the stage soon after to accept the prize for best director. It was presented by the French director Claude Lelouch, whose 'A Man and a Woman' is featured on the festival poster.
'I was having Champagne,' Mendonça Filho said. After he praised Cannes, he gave a lusty shout-out to the theatrical experience: 'I believe that cinemas build the character of a film.'
The French actor Daniel Auteuil presented the best actress prize to the newcomer Nadia Melliti, star of Hafsia Herzi's touching drama 'The Little Sister.' Melliti's open, naturalistic performance — her first movie role — as a young lesbian struggling to reconcile her sexuality with her Muslim faith, had been widely and justly celebrated.
The American actor John C. Reilly, after referring to a power outage that affected Cannes and the surrounding Alpes-Maritimes region earlier in the day, announced that it was his birthday. A guitarist then strolled onstage and Reilly began singing 'La Vie en Rose,' providing some levity in the briskly paced ceremony that was over in one hour. When Reilly finished, he presented the best screenplay to the Belgian filmmaking brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne for their ensemble drama 'Young Mothers.' Also longtime festival favorites, they have won the Palme twice.
The Camera d'Or, for best first film, went to 'The President's Cake.' Accepting the award, its director, Hasan Hadi, said it was the first Iraqi movie to be honored at Cannes. The touching Nigerian drama 'My Father's Shadow,' from Akinola Davies Jr., received a special mention.