Iran calls in French diplomat over laud of Palme d'Or-winning film award recipient
Iran Protests French Minister's Support for Award-Winning Iranian Film
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Tensions escalated between Iran and France after Jean-Noel Barrot, France's foreign minister, praised a prize-winning Iranian film as a "gesture of resistance against the Iranian regime's oppression."
The film, "It Was Just an Accident," won the prestigious Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. Centered on a man who abducts his suspected captor after being tortured in prison, the film faces controversy in Iran, where film productions need government approval to shoot in public.
Dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi refused to seek such approval for the film, choosing instead to film without cooperation. Iranian state TV called it a mixture of "lie and smearing," as well as an "underground" film produced without required permits in Iran.
In response, Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned France's charge d'affaires, deeming the minister's statements "interventionist, irresponsible, and instigative." Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized France for its approach to Israel's ongoing conflict in Gaza and dismissed its threats against Israel as "empty."
Upon the award's announcement, Iran's state news agency reported a muted celebration of the win, crediting the country's film industry for securing a second Palme d'Or since Abbas Kiarostami's "Taste of Cherry" in 1997.
Panahi's arrest in 2022 and six-year sentence this year for propagandizing against the government have attracted international attention. Despite the risks of imprisonment, Panahi expressed no intentions of seeking asylum in another country upon his return to Tehran, where he was welcomed with cheers and applause by fans.
In a strange and emotional journey, "It Was Just an Accident" forces former prisoners to grapple with revenge and forgiveness. Panahi, who draws inspiration from his own imprisonment experiences, has built a reputation as one of the world's leading international directors. He made 2011's "This Is Not a Film" on an iPhone in his living room and clandestinely filmed "Taxi" almost entirely within a car.
While international and human rights communities applaud Panahi's Cannes win and his commitment to artistic freedom, the Iranian government views the recognition as politically motivated. Some critics in Iran have dismissed Panahi's Palme d'Or win as a reflection of the festival's politicization, highlighting ongoing tensions between the filmmaker and the Iranian regime.
Contributed by Associated Press journalists Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, and Jake Coyle in Cannes, France.
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In light of the Iranian government's disapproval, French Minister Jean-Noel Barrot's support for the Palme d'Or winning film "It Was Just an Accident" has stirred controversy, as the movie, a blend of revenge and forgiveness, is not allowed for filming in public without government approval in Iran. This debated entertainment piece has been produced secretly in Iran, reflecting the ongoing tension between the government and dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi.
