Jafar Panahi believes a new wave of protests challenging Iran’s dictatorship may bring “something different” this time.
The dissident director is currently in the United States to promote his Palme d’Or winner, It Was Just an Accident, which represents France in the international feature Oscar race, and is keeping a close eye on the protests. Since it began in late December, the practice has escalated in major cities in all 31 Iranian provinces, resulting in the deaths of 28 protesters and bystanders between December 31 and January 3, according to Amnesty International.
Panahi, who has been frequently arrested by Iranian authorities, most recently in July 2022 after signing an appeal against police brutality and spending several months in prison, is now even more convinced that Iran’s regime will fall. “Nobody can predict how long it’s going to take. It could be a year, it could be a month, it could be a week. But eventually it’s going to fall apart,” he told Variety over Zoom.
The outspoken writer, considered one of Iranian cinema’s greatest living masters, remains a target of the government known as the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was just sentenced in absentia to a one-year prison sentence and a two-year travel ban on charges of “propaganda” related to work with political content.
It Was Just an Accident, his first film since being released from an Iranian prison two years ago, is about a group of former prisoners who encounter a man they believe to be the guard who tortured them. Now that the man has been captured, they must decide whether to exact revenge. Although “It Was Just an Accident” marked Panahi’s biggest breakthrough on the world stage to date, Panahi has long been acclaimed for films such as “The Circle,” “Offside,” “This Is Not a Movie,” “Taxi,” and “No Bears,” which were filmed in secret after the film was banned in 2010.
On Wednesday, Panahi posted an appeal on his Instagram account with 184 signatories, saying: “We will defend with all our might the right to freedom of expression, condemn the repression and killing of protesters, and stand with the Iranian people.”
“This is not something we decided last night,” he said, noting that the appeal had been gaining support for a week. “This is a statement signed by 184 people in the film industry. But it’s not only the film industry, but also athletes and prominent figures from other Iranian guilds who believe that change is necessary.”
Below, Panahi talks to Variety about why he thinks Iran is truly on the brink of change and why it doesn’t need US President Donald Trump to usher in a new day.
where are you? Will you be attending the Golden Globe Awards?
We arrived in Los Angeles from Palm Springs last night and were in New York before that. Of course I’ll go since I’m in LA. (Laughs) I think I have to go to the Golden Globes.
How long have you lived in America? What was this experience like for you?
This is a new experience for me. Because the Academy’s rules were that your film had to be screened in your home country (until now) my film would never have been selected (Iran would never allow it). Therefore, if France had not chosen my film, this campaign might not have existed. Almost every screening I attended was sold out. And people stayed for questions and answers. This was a great joy for me. In the United States, with the exception of Los Angeles, which has a large Iranian population, in other cities we visited, the audience was mostly non-Iranian. This includes New York, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, and San Francisco.
Meanwhile, a new wave of protests in Iran is once again challenging the country’s theocracy. You support the protests by posting statements on Instagram such as, “When there is nothing to lose, fear disappears. Voices unite. Silence is broken. There is no turning back.” What are your feelings being away from your country while this is happening in Iran?
I was in Iran the last time there were large-scale protests, and I was also jailed. At the time, I was in prison and couldn’t watch the news freely. It was very difficult for us to know what was going on. Anyone who can receive a call from outside the prison will come right over and give you an update. But other than that I didn’t witness anything. As fate would have it, this time too I am a little removed from what is happening. But from the second day of mass protests, there was a hunch that this time might be different. I also posted on my Instagram account on the fourth day that I thought this was going to be something different.
I also said in an interview in Cannes that as far as I’m concerned, the system is broken. It is already broken politically, ideologically, economically and environmentally. It is falling apart from every aspect imaginable. Only the shell exists. Because it’s a use of force.
Do you think Iran is really on the brink of what Americans call “regime change” right now?
No one can predict exactly how long it will take a regime like Iran to reach this point. It could be a year, a month, a week. But eventually they fall. This is not how I feel right now. It’s in my movie too. Will the cycle of violence continue or will it end? And will we ever put an end to it?
Panahi talks behind the scenes of “It Was Just an Accident.”
Courtesy of Pelleas
What do you think about President Donald Trump saying, “I pray and hope that 2026 will be the year that makes Iran great again” and promising to attack Iran if protesters are killed?Are you afraid of US intervention in Iran?
This regime has already collapsed. And, as I said before, the people who are protesting in the streets want to make that happen. Of course, international support can make a difference. But nothing happens until people themselves decide to do something or not. Nothing changes. It must be introduced from within, from within, by the will of the people.
In other words, the United States does not feel the need to intervene in Iran. correct?
It seems you don’t understand. Let me say it again. Nothing can bring about change unless people have the will to change from within. It must come from the will of the people from within.
During your trip to the United States, you were sentenced in absentia to a one-year prison sentence and a two-year travel ban for propaganda against the regime. An appeals hearing is scheduled for January 4. Can you give us an update on the progress of the trial?
I talked to a lawyer yesterday. The court was held and the lawyer said he would have to return to court within a few days to hear the results. So I don’t know what was decided yet.
Is there any hope that you won’t actually be found guilty in this trial?
Among Iranian prisoners, there are opinions about the language of appeal. The word appeal (in Iranian) means to reconsider a decision. So instead of saying “review the decision,” the prisoner says “confirm the decision.” This is the meaning of “appeal” in the Iranian judicial system. They usually confirm that they have taken control.
Iran’s judiciary is not independent. Therefore, when courts decide on political cases, it is never something that the judges decide or find relevant. Rather, it is what the judge was ordered to do and what the interrogator said should be done. So now it just depends on what direction the state wants to go in the next round (of my trial) based on the current unrest that’s going on. If they wanted to be a little nicer to people, they might change the sentence that way. If you want to make things even worse, it can get even tougher.
You have repeatedly stated your desire and determination to return to Iran as soon as possible for activities related to the promotion of this film. But given the escalating violence against protesters and dissidents in your country, and the fact that you were sentenced to prison, are you having second thoughts?
These developments do not influence my decision in any way. As I said in the Cannes interview, it doesn’t matter what happens to me as a result of this film. I have to go back to Iran. And I went back to Iran (after Cannes). I’m the kind of person who needs to be in his country. You need to breathe there and work there. And even if they want to serve that prison sentence, they can do so. Nothing would change my mind about going back.
The real question is why we don’t want to remain in Iran. Why should our people leave? On the other hand, the regime and its representatives appear entitled to remain there. We have a right to our country. It is the government that has to go. Because it fell.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
