"This is not the first conviction for Jafar Panahi. For decades, the filmmaker has experienced censorship and imprisonment in his home country of Iran. He never set out to be a political filmmaker. "In my definition, a political filmmaker defends an ideology where the good follow it and the bad oppose it," the Iranian director says. "In my films, even those who behave badly are shaped by the system, not personal choice," he tells DW."
"But for more than a decade, Panahi, the winner of the 2025 Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's top prize, has had little choice. Following his support for the opposition Green Movement protests, the director of "The White Balloon" and "The Circle," was handed a 20-year ban on filmmaking and international travel in 2010 by Iranian authorities. That didn't stop him."
"Now, the award-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi has been sentenced to one year in jail in absentia by the Iranian Revolutionary Court for engaging in propaganda activities, ISNA news agency reported his lawyer saying on Monday. The court also imposed a two-year travel ban and prohibited the director from engaging in any political or social groups. On the same day, Panahi was at New York City's Gotham Awards to recieve three prizes for his films, including best director."
Jafar Panahi has endured decades of censorship, imprisonment, and official bans in Iran. He received a 20-year ban on filmmaking and international travel in 2010 after supporting Green Movement protests. He adapted by shooting and smuggling films using unconventional methods, including turning his living room into a set and using a car as a mobile studio. He has won major awards such as the Golden Bear and the 2025 Palme d'Or. Recently he was sentenced in absentia to one year in jail, given a two-year travel ban, and barred from engaging in political or social groups, with his lawyer planning an appeal.
Read at www.dw.com
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