Jafar Panahi (1960, Mianeh, Iran) is one of the most acclaimed contemporary filmmakers. He won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2025 for It Was Just an Accident, confirming his place as a central voice in world cinema. His films, blending poetic realism with incisive social critique, engage fearlessly with themes of freedom, censorship, and the struggles of everyday life in Iranian society. Despite bans and imprisonment imposed by the authorities since 2010, Panahi has continued to create under severe restrictions, producing internationally celebrated works. He is one of the very few directors to have received all the world’s major film prizes: the Caméra d’Or, the Golden Leopard, the Golden Lion, the Golden Bear, and the Palme d’Or.
#APSA25 WINNER — Best Director
Jafar Panahi for It Was Just an Accident (Un Simple Accident)
Iran, France, Luxembourg
Presented by Academy Award Winner Director Baz Lurhmann and accepted by distributor Paul Weigard (Madman)
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
