“The most important thing is the freedom of our country”: the strong speech of Jafar Panahi after his golden palm
The director, awarded for a simple accident, has been fighting against the Iranian regime for 20 years.
The presence of Jafar Panahi, rewarded with the Palme d’Or for a simple accident, at the Clotrus ceremony of 78e Cannes Festival was already an event in itself. Forbidden to leave Iranian territory for 14 years, the filmmaker had not been able to go to the 2010 Berlinale, where he was guest of honor, nor to Cannes the same year, when he was to be part of the jury, and to the Venice Mostra where his film The accordion was selected.
Despite prohibitions and convictions, Panahi will never have stopped making films to denounce his personal situation and that of the Iranian people in the face of the restrictions imposed by the Islamic regime. And if he was blocked in his country, his works trained for him in the biggest festivals. He thus won the gold bear in Berlin in 2015 with Taxi Tehranand the price of the script in Cannes in 2018 with Three faces. Each time without being present.
His new film, A simple accident (Extract above), also shot clandestinely, recounts the fortuitous meeting between a former prisioner and his executioner. A new charge, both brutal and burlesque, against the power that the jury chaired by Juliette Binoche therefore rewarded the Palme d’or. The actress thus presented this choice before announcing the winner:
“We are here with all those who suffer, not by political opinion, but by the heart, compassion, tenderness. By a humanity shared for found freedom. Art provokes, questions, upsets, he disarves the old one, he takes on an unsuspected dimension in us. Art mobilizes creative energy from the most precious, the most alive in us. A force that makes it possible to transform darkness into forgiveness, in hope, in new life. This is why we chose for the Palme d’Or A simple accident de jafar panhi.“
Overwhelmed by emotion, Panahi then recovered to go on stage, receive the Palme d’Or and give a strong, but measured speech. Here is his full transcription (video at the end of the article):
“It’s really difficult to speak. Before I say something, let me thank my family, for all the time I was not present with them. And the whole team that accompanied me throughout the way, so that we made this film together. I also thank the whole team that accompanied me here in France for post-production. Philippe de Film PelléasAlexandre de Memento and also MK2, our international distributor.
It was impossible to make this film without a committed team, I think it’s time to ask all people, all Iranians, whatever their opinion, who live in Iran or abroad, to put all the problems, all the differences on the side. The most important thing at the moment is our country, and the freedom of our country. Let us arrive at this moment, together, when no one dares to say what to put as clothes, what to say, what should not be done.
Cinema is a company, no one has the right to tell us what to do, or what we should not do. I thank the Cannes festival and all the people here. “
