Overview

• Jafar Panahi's film 'It Was Just an Accident,' inspired by his own imprisonment, won the Palme d'Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, marking his third major European festival victory.
• The film, produced without Iranian government approval, challenges censorship and includes unveiled actresses, defying Iran's strict dress codes.
• Panahi used his Cannes acceptance speech to call for national unity and freedom, emphasizing the importance of individual rights in Iran.
• The Iranian government downplayed Panahi's win, focusing instead on a state-aligned film festival, while summoning France's envoy over remarks by the French Foreign Minister praising the film as resistance against oppression.
• Despite concerns about potential arrest, Panahi returned to Iran, receiving a hero's welcome from supporters who celebrated his artistic and political courage.