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Iran Sentences Filmmaker Jafar Panahi to Five Years in Prison
Confirmed
In Short: Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was sentenced to five years and one month in prison by Iran's Revolutionary Court, according to his lawyer Mostafa Nili.
Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was sentenced to five years and one month in prison by Iran's Revolutionary Court, according to his lawyer Mostafa Nili. The court also ordered the confiscation of all Panahi's assets, imposed a two-year ban on leaving Iran, and restricted his use of social media.
Panahi's latest sentence comes after his bank accounts were frozen last week, signaling the start of a new legal case against him. The filmmaker was not notified of the court hearing, and the ruling was issued in absentia, despite Panahi being in Iran since March.
The charges against Panahi include propaganda against the Islamic Republic, a claim that has long shadowed his career. He previously faced a one-year prison sentence and a two-year ban from filmmaking, which was upheld after an appeal.
Panahi's lawyer, Mostafa Nili, stated that an arrest warrant was issued for Panahi on a day when he was attending a hearing in another case before the same court. This prompted a meeting with the Enforcement of Judgments Unit at Iran’s Cultural and Media Prosecutor’s Office, where it was revealed that Panahi had received his new sentence in absentia.
Panahi's latest film, 'It Was Just an Accident,' won the Palme d'Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and received two Oscar nominations. The film's success led to a global awards push, with Panahi returning to Iran earlier this year to promote the film.
Over the past two decades, Panahi has had frequent run-ins with Iranian authorities. He was once placed on house arrest and banned from filmmaking activities, and in 2010, he was banned from making movies, speaking to the press, and traveling. Despite these restrictions, Panahi continued to make films.
In 2022, Panahi was arrested in connection with protests by a group of filmmakers but was released about seven months later. He has since returned to Iran despite facing legal challenges and a climate of escalating tension.
Panahi's lawyer, Mostafa Nili, says that authorities claim they could not reach Panahi because he was abroad, but the filmmaker has been in Iran since March and even appeared before a different branch of the Office in September. The uncertainty surrounding the legal proceedings against Panahi continues to shroud his future in Iran.
What this adds
Panahi's regular legal punishments from Iranian authorities have long run parallel to his position as one of the country’s most prominent representatives in global cinema.
Background
It Was Just an Accident is a 2025 political thriller film written and directed by Jafar Panahi. The film is a co-production between Iran, France, and Luxembourg.
What's confirmed
- Panahi reportedly learned about the new case last week after his bank accounts were frozen.
- Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has received a five-year-and-one-month prison sentence in absentia from Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
What's still developing
- Panahi currently faces three pending cases, according to Nili.
- He won the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival in 2000 for “The Circle,” and the Golden Bear at Berlinale for “Taxi” in 2015.
- Panahi’s regular legal punishments from Iranian authorities have long run parallel to his position as one of the country’s most prominent representatives in global cinema.
- Panahi at the time was outside of Iran, promoting It Was Just an Accident, which won the Palme d’Or in Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar in the best international feature category, representing France.
- The ban was lifted in April 2023, and Iranian authorities allowed Panahi to travel to Cannes to launch “It Was Just an Accident.” Panahi subsequently traveled widely to promote the drama, which centers around an outpouring of strong feelings by a group of former prisoners toward a torturous guard and stems from his incarceration.
- In 2010, the revered auteur — known globally also for other prize-winning works such as “The Circle,” “Offside,” “This is Not a Film,” “Taxi” and “No Bears” — was banned from making movies, speaking to the press and traveling, though he surreptitiously kept making them anyway.
- “I am the kind of person who needs to be in his country,” Panahi told Variety.