Cannes has awarded its top prize, the Palme d'Or, to the Iranian revenge drama It Was Just an Accident.
The win continues an extraordinary run for indie distributor Neon, which has now backed the last six Palme d'Or winners. Neon picked up It Was Just an Accident for North American distribution after its Cannes premiere, following earlier wins with Parasite, Titane, Triangle of Sadness, Anatomy of a Fall, and Anora.
Cate Blanchett presented the award to Jafar Panahi, who was imprisoned in Iran three years ago and went on a hunger strike. For more than 15 years, he has made films in secret in his home country, including This Is Not a Film, shot in his living room, and Taxi, set entirely in a car.
The audience gave him a loud and long standing ovation. Panahi threw up his arms and leaned back in disbelief, then applauded his team and those around him. On stage, he was welcomed with cheers by Cannes jury president Juliette Binoche, who had once held up his name at the festival in 2010 while he was under house arrest.
As Panahi took to the stage he said what mattered most was freedom in his country.
“Let us join forces,” said Panahi. “No one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do or what we should not do. The cinema is a society. Nobody is entitled to tell what we should or refrain from doing.”
“Let’s continue to hope,” he concluded.
Despite Panahi's cry for freedom, he has said life in exile is not for him. He planned to fly home to Tehran on Sunday.
The festival’s closing ceremony came shortly after a major power outage hit southeastern France on Saturday, which police believe may have been caused by arson. Power was restored in Cannes just hours before stars began arriving on the red carpet.
