A moving moment of mutual respect unfolded at the New York Film Festival (NYFF) when Martin Scorsese and Jafar Panahi shared a heartfelt embrace.
The acclaimed Iranian filmmaker bowed before Scorsese, whom he described as “a god of cinema”, while the American maestro used the occasion to urge streaming platforms to give greater visibility to Iranian filmmakers working under repression.
Panahi attended the festival for the US screening of his Cannes Palme d’Or-winning film It Was Just an Accident, a daring work shot in secret and inspired by his own imprisonment.
The director joined Scorsese for a rescheduled conversation, delayed due to visa complications, where the two discussed the uncertain future of Iranian cinema.
“It’s been very difficult to bear,” Panahi said through a translator. “All the pillars of Iranian filmmaking are gone. I miss the films they could have made, but never did. I don’t have the courage or the ability to leave Iran. I’ve stayed and I will continue to work there.”
He emphasised, however, that a new wave of Iranian directors is carrying the torch. “Many young filmmakers are creating the finest works of Iranian cinema, in the same spirit as we once did, secretly. They reject censorship completely. It’s become so common that even within Iranian film circles, people now take these clandestine filmmakers seriously, something unimaginable before.”
Scorsese responded with a call to action, “These films must be supported; by distributors, by festivals and by streamers. Streaming platforms have endless space; there’s no reason why Criterion, Mubi, or Amazon couldn’t host these works.”
He added that streamers should curate such films thoughtfully: “It’s not just about putting them on a tile. You need to guide audiences, so they know where they’re going, what they’re looking for.”
Panahi recalled his shock after being banned from filmmaking for 20 years. “They told me I couldn’t make films, write, give interviews or leave Iran. I was stunned. I even thought of driving a taxi. But I kept making films anyway. When you work like that, half your energy goes into simply finding a way to make the film. The other half is left for creativity.”
Reflecting on recent changes, he noted how the ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ movement has transformed Iranian society. “When ‘No Bears’ [2022] was shown in Venice, I was still in prison. We heard something was happening outside. We didn’t understand its scale. After our release, we saw a different city. Women had resisted with extraordinary courage. They crossed an unimaginable line. In my view, Iran’s history is now divided into before and after that moment, and of course, cinema will reflect this change. My actresses, for instance, now refuse to wear headscarves.”
Panahi’s latest film, ‘It Was Just an Accident’, is a darkly comic exploration of revenge and moral doubt. A former prisoner, convinced he’s found the guard who once tortured him, kidnaps the man and begins to bury him alive in the desert until doubt creeps in. Unable to confirm the man’s identity, tension and uncertainty escalate.
“All I want to express through this film,” Panahi said, “is that justice, forgiveness, all those elements are there but they serve the story. This film is for the time after the Islamic Republic. We must ask: what happens next? Do we continue with violence, or at some point, do we finally say ‘cut’?”
