Jedan običan incident

Director: Jafar Panahi; Iran, France, Luxembourg; 2025.; 105'

After years under house arrest imposed by the Iranian regime, legendary filmmaker Jafar Panahi returns with a bold yet darkly humorous revenge thriller that sharply critiques oppressive systems and the scars they leave behind. Shot illegally, It Was Just an Accident explores how a seemingly trivial misfortune - a broken-down car - sets off a chain reaction of devastating consequences for those involved.

The story centers on Vahid, a mechanic and former political prisoner, who becomes convinced that the man behind the wheel of the faulty car is none other than his former prison torturer.

Awarded the Palme d’Or at Cannes, where it received a rousing standing ovation, this tense, black-comic thriller delves into the moral fractures left in the wake of political trauma. Blending biting satire with shocking narrative twists, Panahi draws on real testimonies of Iranian political prisoners—including his own experiences—to create a story that is as personal as it is political.

A fiercely outspoken voice against repression, inequality, and the erosion of civil liberties, Panahi uses It Was Just an Accident to pose fearless questions about trauma, vengeance, and moral reckoning.

With this film, the Iranian auteur becomes only the fourth director in history to achieve the rare trifecta of Europe’s most prestigious film festivals: the Golden Lion in Venice (The Circle, 2000), the Golden Bear in Berlin (Taxi, 2015), and now the Palme d’Or in Cannes. This summer, as the recipient of the Maverick Award from Cinehill Film Festival, Panahi made a special appearance in Croatia with his latest work.