 "Jafar Panahi Cannes")
In their response to Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or for It was Just an Accident, one thing united commentators at Cannes and state-affiliated media in Iran. Both called it a “political” win, albeit for different reasons. Global media said the prize was a sign the French film festival was faltering on its traditionally “apolitical” stance to engage with international affairs, while Iranian government-backed outlets — under scrutiny for brutally suppressing protests since 2022 — dubbed it a West-sanctioned smear campaign.
A simple examination of Panahi’s oeuvre, however, shows his lens belongs only to himself. The 64-year-old is a master
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