Cannes 2025: Jafar Panahi Takes Home Palme d’Or Amid Polarizing Festival

On a magical Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival, Iranian director Jafar Panahi clinched the prestigious Palme d’Or, marking his inaugural triumph at the renowned event. This victory comes after years of strife, with Panahi facing governmental oppression and confinement, most recently from 2022 to 2023. Despite a filmmaking ban, he has persistently created art, even missing the festival for two decades. In a poignant reminder of his absence, actress Juliette Binoche previously held a space for him in 2010. Panahi’s award-winning film, “It Was Just an Accident,” intertwines themes of psychological struggle with ex-political prisoners. Other accolades went to Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” (Grand Prix) and various notable performances, encapsulating a year of remarkable resilience and creativity on La Croisette.