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2d ago

Busan Film Festival Names Jafar Panahi Asian Filmmaker of the Year

Scheduled for Sept. 17 in Busan, the award recognizes his clandestine filmmaking under Iran’s ban with an unprecedented Cannes-Venice-Berlin trifecta

Iranian director, screenwriter and producer Jafar Panahi recently won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. (Photo by Steven Markham / AFP)
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Overview

  • Jafar Panahi was selected as BIFF’s 2025 Asian Filmmaker of the Year in recognition of his impact on Asian cinema.
  • He will receive the award at the festival’s opening ceremony on September 17 at the Busan Cinema Center.
  • BIFF highlighted his exploration of individual freedom under censorship and his continued secret filmmaking in Iran despite arrests, detentions, travel bans and a state-imposed ban.
  • Panahi became the first Asian director to win top prizes at Cannes, Venice and Berlin with his Palme d’Or-winning It Was Just an Accident, Golden Lion-winning The Circle and Golden Bear-winning Taxi.
  • The accolade ranks among BIFF’s highest honors and has previously honored figures such as Hirokazu Kore-eda, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Abbas Kiarostami.