Oscar-nominated director Jafar Panahi summoned for court hearing in Iran

TEHRAN: Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, whose film ‘It Was Just An Accident’ received an Oscar nomination and won the Palme d’Or at Cannes last year, has reportedly been summoned for a court hearing in Iran this week, Deadline said.

According to local media reports, the hearing is linked to a retrial in a case involving charges of “propaganda activity against the regime.” The hearing is expected to take place on Wednesday.

Panahi had earlier been sentenced in absentia to one year in prison along with a two-year travel ban while he was attending international film events for It Was Just An Accident. Branch 26 of the Tehran Islamic Revolutionary Court, which is handling the case, had also banned him from joining political and social groups.

Jafar Panahi is facing a retrial in Iran over propaganda charges, after already being sentenced in absentia to prison and a filmmaking ban. He’s also back home after promoting It Was Just an Accident. Tough situation #film #ItWasJustanAccident #legalissue pic.twitter.com/3Gs9dthy59

— theKadr (@thekadren) May 18, 2026

The retrial comes after Panahi’s lawyers appealed against the earlier ruling. The filmmaker had returned to Iran at the end of March after attending the 98th Academy Awards, where It Was Just An Accident was among the films nominated in the Best International Feature Film category.

Panahi’s film was widely praised internationally and won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The jury at Cannes last year was headed by actress Juliette Binoche.

The director has faced several legal troubles in Iran over the years. In July 2022, he was arrested after visiting Tehran’s Evin prison to ask about filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad, who had been detained earlier.

Soon after his arrest, Iranian authorities reactivated a six-year prison sentence first issued against him in 2010. At that time, Panahi was also given a 20-year ban on filmmaking and travel. The charges were linked to his support for protests following Iran’s 2009 Green Movement.

Panahi was released from prison in February 2023 after going on a hunger strike. Despite restrictions and legal challenges, he has continued making films that have received global recognition.

According to Deadline, the director has faced several legal troubles in Iran over the years. In July 2022, he was arrested after visiting Tehran’s Evin prison to ask about filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad, who had been detained earlier.

Soon after his arrest, Iranian authorities reactivated a six-year prison sentence first issued against him in 2010. At that time, Panahi was also given a 20-year ban on filmmaking and travel. The charges were linked to his support for protests following Iran’s 2009 Green Movement.

Panahi was released from prison in February 2023 after going on a hunger strike. Despite restrictions and legal challenges, he has continued making films that have received global recognition. (ANI)