Renowned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has won the Palme d’Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival for his latest film A Simple Accident, which competed in the festival’s main competition.
This marks Panahi’s first appearance on the red carpet of an international film festival in nearly 15 years. Following his support for the protests against the results of Iran’s presidential election—later known as the Green Movement—Panahi was imprisoned and banned from leaving the country for about 15 years.
The 64-year-old director has said that his nearly seven-month imprisonment in Evin Prison served as the inspiration for the darkly humorous film.
The screening of A Simple Accident at Cannes received an enthusiastic response from audiences.
