Iran: Prison sentence for director Jafar Panahi | EUROtoday

The Iranian star director and this yr’s Cannes winner Jafar Panahi has been sentenced in absentia to 1 yr in jail. A revolutionary court docket within the capital Tehran additionally banned the well-known filmmaker from leaving the nation for 2 years, because the Iranian information company Isna reported, citing his lawyer.

The 65-year-old Panahi received the Palme d’Or on the Cannes Film Festival in May together with his movie “A Simple Accident”. In the movie he offers together with his experiences in jail and the repression of the Iranian state. The work is within the operating for the Oscar 2026 within the Best International Film class for France. The director had already received the principle prizes on the Venice Film Festival and the Berlinale with earlier movies

Panahi’s lawyer Mostafa Nili mentioned in an interview with Isna that his consumer had additionally been banned from membership in political or social teams. “We will take the necessary steps to appeal this verdict within the statutory deadline,” mentioned the protection lawyer.

Panahi was in jail in Iran from July 2022 to February 2023; earlier than that, he had already been banned from working and touring for a very long time. His present movie, shot in secret, is impressed by his time in jail. Conversations that he had there with different prisoners have been included within the movie.

The movie can be launched in Germany on January eighth. Panahi had deliberate to journey to Berlin for the premiere. It was initially not identified the place he’s at the moment staying.

Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran’s movie and cultural scene has additionally been topic to strict surveillance by the authorities. Filmmakers, for instance, should formally apply for his or her filming permits and cinema screenings by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. However, Iran’s vibrant artwork and movie scene has at all times been a spot of refined or fairly apparent criticism of the system.