On Sunday, Iran summoned the French chargé d'affaires in Tehran to address what it deemed as "insulting" comments made by France's foreign minister in response to an Iranian film's triumph at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, according to state media reports.
Following dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi's historic win of the Palme d'Or on Saturday for his political drama "It Was Just an Accident," Jean-Noël Barrot, France's foreign minister, posted a congratulatory message on social media, describing Panahi's victory as "a gesture of resistance against the Iranian regime's oppression." The film, which features five Iranians confronting a man they believe tortured them in prison, also includes several actresses appearing without veils, defying Iran's stringent dress code for women.
"In response to the insulting remarks and baseless accusations made by the French minister," the state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday, "the charge d'affaires of France in Tehran was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry." The report further stated that Iran condemned "the misuse by the French government" of the Cannes festival "to advance its political agenda against the Islamic Republic."
Panahi, whose film was inspired by his own detention experiences, dominated critics' polls throughout the week at Cannes. However, the state broadcaster ignored Panahi's victory and instead focused on a state-aligned "Resistance" film festival that honored pro-Palestinian works or films about the eight-year Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
The conservative Fars news agency speculated that the Cannes jury's decision was politically motivated, asserting that it "was not uninfluenced by the political issues surrounding Jafar Panahi inside Iran." Reformist newspapers such as Etemad, Shargh, and Ham Mihan reported the win on their websites but refrained from featuring it on their front pages, possibly due to the timing of the announcement.
Despite being banned from filmmaking in Iran since 2010 and having been jailed multiple times, Panahi addressed the Cannes audience with a heartfelt call for national unity. He confirmed his plans to return home to Iran immediately and, when asked late Saturday if he feared arrest, responded confidently, "Not at all. Tomorrow we are leaving." On Sunday, he posted an Instagram picture of himself with his film crew, captioning it, "Travellers return home."
Panahi's win marked only the second time an Iranian director has received the Palme d'Or, following Abbas Kiarostami's honor for "Taste of Cherry" in 1997. Both directors faced bans throughout their careers, making their victories all the more remarkable.
