Iranian filmmaker Panahi says under 'pressure' over Cannes film

Dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi said Wednesday he and his cast had faced "pressure" since his latest movie was selected for the Cannes film festival, with two team members called in for questioning.

"As soon as people heard that the film had been selected in Cannes, particularly in the last fortnight, the situation became more complicated," Panahi told a press conference in Cannes, according to a translation.

"Several members were called in for questioning," added the director of "It Was Just an Accident", a hard-hitting but sometimes comical film about political prisoners and their torturers.

As usual, it was shot in secret by Panahi, who has repeatedly defied a 20-year ban on filmmaking imposed in 2010 over his prize-winning career.

"A lot of pressure has been brought to bear" on his crew and cast, he said, "but I knew that we held the winning card because the film was already there (in Cannes) and they (Iranian authorities) couldn't do anything about it."

Iranian actress Hadis Pakbaten, who plays a bride-to-be, told reporters she had been questioned and had found the experience "scary".

"Once the film had been announced as being selected (for Cannes), we were put under pressure, we were threatened, we were questioned. At the beginning it was scary. I'm young and I was worried for my family."

Panahi revealed that around 15 members of the Iranian security services in plainclothes had turned up at one of his filming locations one evening and spent several hours searching for his footage.

Luckily for him, he had left shortly before with his camera operator and the main actors with the vehicle that serves as the backdrop for much of the film, giving him time to hide his material.

The film is inspired by Panahi's two stints in jail, most recently for nearly seven months in 2022-2023.

It examines the moral dilemma faced by a group of ordinary Iranians who are faced with a man they believe tortured them behind bars. The film is is a contender for the prestigious festival's top prize.

Despite the risks of being arrested or prosecuted, Panahi and his cast confirmed that they would return to Tehran after the festival.