NZIFF: It Was Just an Accident

A masterpiece of cinematic invention and political bravery, Jafar Panahi’s rousing new film deservedly won the Cannes Palme d’Or and opens NZIFF 2025 on a powerful and inspiring note.

Jafar Panahi is one of the greatest artists of contemporary cinema and one of its most empathetic and committed humanists. Winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2025 the Iranian cineaste joined Michelangelo Antonioni and Robert Altman as one of just three directors to receive the highest accolades at the three major European film festivals, Cannes, Berlin and Venice. Beyond the acclaim and the awards, what makes Panahi’s eleventh feature memorable is its balance between deep compassion and open criticism of the Iranian regime.
The film opens with a man driving at night, along with his pregnant wife and daughter, when suddenly, the car hits something and quickly breaks down. This may be the accident referred to in the title. But when the limping father seeks help at a warehouse, the squeak of his prosthetic leg is heard by worker Vahid, who was once imprisoned, blindfolded and tortured by the regime. He recognises the sound as the same as that made by his torturer, and decides to take action, rounding up other former prisoners to help him, none of whom ever saw the face of their tormentor.
In the last two decades, Panahi has faced his share of problems with the regime: banned from filmmaking, he has twice been sentenced and imprisoned. With It Was Just An Accident, he addresses the violence of the regime and its officials head-on, as well as its victims intense desire for revenge. Nevertheless, Panahi tempers the anger with irony as his characters emberk on a journey punctuated by dramatic turns and unexpected twists. Perhaps we can stay human only by seeking truth and justice rather than vengeance. And yet, the finale seems to suggest evil may always be just one step behind us… — Paolo Bertolin

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