Reportage
At Cannes, a political Palme d’Or for those who resist
This 78th edition of the Cannes festival was marked by the reality of a world in flames.
When Juliette Binoche rose to say that this Palme d’Or was being awarded not only for “political reasons” but for the sheer power of the film, we already knew that the Palme d’Or of the 78th Cannes Film Festival would go to Iranian director Jafar Panahi.
“It Was Just an Accident” – a “clandestine film,” like all those he has made, refusing to submit to the rules and censorship of the Tehran regime – marks the first time in 14 years that Panahi has been allowed to travel to the award ceremony, after his passport had been seized, a travel ban imposed and two prison terms served. When the cameras focused on him together with his teary cast and crew, Panahi seemed to shrink into his seat as if to vanish out of sight before springing up as the whole hall stood up and applauded without end.
Onstage beside Cate Blanchett, who handed him the trophy, Panahi – as always, with his dark glasses on – first took the opportunity to thank his family “for all the time we weren’t together,” and his whole team: “They accompanied and supported me throughout the entire production – without such a committed team this film would not have been possible.”
His voice betraying deep emotion but firm, he addressed his country: “What’s most important now is our country and its freedom. Let us set aside our differences and focus on that single goal. No-one should dare tell us what to do, how to dress, what to say. And that goes for cinema, which is part of society: no one should tell me what film to make.”
“It Was Just an Accident” – to be distributed in Italy by Lucky Red – is both a reflection on today’s Islamic Republic and a moral tale about the scars its violence leaves on ordinary citizens. The film is tense, unforgiving, harsh: it does not shy away from taking up every risk that comes with speaking out in public, and of a resistance of which its maker has become a symbol since his first conviction in 2010, through his arrest in 2022 and months of detention in Tehran’s Evin prison, where he went on a hunger strike and vowed: “I will remain in this state until perhaps my lifeless body is freed from prison.”
This Palme d’Or is, therefore, political, and there’s no need to be shy in saying so (perhaps on the argument that this might “diminish” the value of the film). It is political because it centers on a liberation struggle led by Iranian women, a revolt that has reshaped reality since the murder of Mahsa Amini, the girl killed by the moral police for wearing her veil “wrong.” It is also a recognition of the symbolic work accomplished by artists who refuse to step back, who resist and raise their voices to call for collective change.
This 78th edition of the Cannes festival was marked by the reality of a world in flames. Even before the festival opened, the killing of Palestinian photographer-journalist Fatma Hassona – the main subject of “Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk” – had sparked protest actions aimed at breaking the silence over the ever-more-atrocious genocide in Gaza. However, during awards night, unlike on opening night, no one mentioned it.
So what kind of winners’ list did the jury led by Juliette Binoche serve up? The impression is that the jurors tried to keep many films in play, perhaps because their views diverged. That would explain the Jury Prize awarded jointly to two radically different works, in their perspective and their very idea of cinema: Oliver Laxe’s “Sirât,” hailed by many as one of this edition’s masterpieces, and Mascha Schilinski’s “Sound of Falling” – the festival’s sole woman director to win an award. Meanwhile, surprisingly, no awards went to weighty contenders such as Sergei Loznitsa’s “Two Prosecutors,” Richard Linklater’s “New Wave” and Kelly Reichardt’s “The Mastermind” – a clear-eyed, witty and passionate deconstruction linking the present under the Trump regime and the Nixon years. All of them are highly “political” movies, not in the sense of being an expression of dogma but being able to enter into dialogue with the contemporary times in their chosen form.
Still, the Dardenne brothers – already two-time Palme d’Or winners – walked away with Best Screenplay for “The Young Mothers’ Home,” one of their most solid efforts in years. The brilliant Brazilian auteur Kleber Mendonça Filho notched a double triumph: “The Secret Agent” collected both Best Director and Best Actor for Wagner Moura. Best Actress went to Nadia Mellitti for her striking performance in Hafsia Herzi’s “The Little Sister.” And the Grand Prix for Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” widely forecast by pundits, rewarded a tale of a fraught father-and-daughters relationship that won over many – perhaps because it struck a very comforting tone in its familiar narrative arcs and references. All in all, a fine evening.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/cannes-78-una-palma-politica-per-il-cinema-che-resiste on 2025-05-25