An Iranian filmmaker has been cheered at home after winning Cannes Film Festival’s top prize.
An Iranian filmmaker, Jafar Panahi, returned to Tehran after winning the Palme d’Or for his film “It Was Just Accident,” a revenge thriller highlighting torture in Iranian jails. This marked his first visit to Cannes in 15 years, as he had been unable to attend due to a travel ban resulting from multiple imprisonments, the latest being for protesting against the detention of fellow filmmakers. The film’s success sparked diplomatic tensions between French and Iranian officials.