Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“He’s been banned from making movies. Banned from giving interviews. Banned from traveling. But, impelled by a commitment to independent thought and expression, Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi can’t help but defy such restraints by his autocratic government. He did this in the limelight last Friday, accepting in person the top honor at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Mr. Panahi’s winning movie, ‘Un Simple Accident’, appears to be both humane and highly political. Its message and manner of production spotlight opposing facets of Iranian society: civilians’ unabated aspirations for freedom, for a system that embodies both justice and mercy; and the inhumane and repressive practices of a theocratic regime. ‘I have become a filmmaker in spite of restrictions,’ Mr. Panahi told The Guardian. He has been jailed twice, and the film draws on his prison experience. ‘The fear of being arrested is constant,’ he admitted.” (05/27/25)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2025/0527/Casting-an-eye-on-freedom-in-Iran