Jafar Panahi on Mounting Protests in Iran and Wanting to Return

Jafar Panahi believes the ongoing protests challenging Iran‘s regime may bring “something different” this time.

Currently in the U.S. to promote his Palme d’Or-winning film “It Was Just an Accident,” which is France’s Oscar entry, he’s closely monitoring the protests. Since late December, they’ve spread across Iran’s 31 provinces, resulting in 28 deaths between Dec. 31 and Jan. 3, according to Amnesty International.

Panahi, often arrested by Iranian authorities, was jailed in July 2022 after protesting police violence. He’s now more convinced the regime will fall, stating, “It could be a year, a month, a week. But eventually they will fall,” he tells Variety over Zoom.

The renowned director remains targeted by the Iranian government and was recently sentenced in absentia to a one-year prison term and a two-year travel ban for “propaganda activities.”

“It Was Just an Accident,” his first film since his release, is about ex-prisoners confronting a man they suspect of being their torturer. Despite being banned from filmmaking in 2010, Panahi has gained acclaim for films like “The Circle,” “Offside,” “This Is Not a Film,” “Taxi,” and “No Bears.”

On Wednesday, Panahi shared an Instagram appeal with 184 signatories, stating: “We will defend with all our strength the right to freedom of expression, condemn the repression and killing of protesting people, and stand with the Iranian people.”

“This isn’t just something that we decided last night,” he says, noting the appeal had been gathering support for a week. “It’s a statement signed by 184 people in film circles, athletes, and other prominent figures in Iran advocating for change.”