Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s revenge thriller It Was Just an Accident won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, handing the festival’s top prize to a director who had been banned from leaving Iran for more than 15 years.
Cate Blanchett presented the award to Panahi, who three years ago was imprisoned in Iran before going on a hunger strike. The crowd rose in a thunderous standing ovation for the filmmaker.
The win for It Was Just an Accident extend one of the most unprecedented streaks in film: the indie distributor Neon has backed the last six Palme d’or winners.
Neon, which acquired It Was Just an Accident for North American distribution after its premiere in Cannes, follows its Palmes for Parasite, Titane, Triangle of Sadness, Anatomy of a Fall and Anora.
The Cannes closing ceremony followed a major power outage that struck southeastern France on Saturday in what police suspected was arson. Only a few hours before stars began streaming down the red carpet, power was restored in Cannes.
The Grand Prix, or second prize, was awarded to Joachim Trier’s Norwegian family drama Sentimental Value, his lauded follow-up to The Worst Person in the World.
