Get the latest gossip
Jafar Panahi and Saeed Roustayee Are Both in Cannes in Banner Year for Iranian Cinema on the Croisette
Iranian directors Jafar Panahi and Saeed Roustayee are both in Cannes in what amounts to a banner year for Iran on the Croisette.
Panahi – who is known globally for prizewinning works such as “The Circle,” “Offside,” “This is Not a Film,” “Taxi,” and most recently “No Bears” – was arrested in 2023 in Tehran in the wake of the country’s conservative government crackdown and incarcerated for nearly seven months on charges of “propaganda against the system.” Panahi’s presence in Cannes appears to be a signal to the outside world that Iran is, at least cosmetically, changing its course amid escalating tensions following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September 2022 while she was held in custody for allegedly wearing a loose hijab. Roustayee has recently been passionately defended against these accusations by fellow Iranian helmer Mohammad Rasoulof who in May 2024 escaped from Iran to Europe after receiving a jail sentence from the country’s authorities for making “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” which premiered at Cannes with the director in tow last year.
Or read this on Variety
