It Was Just an Accident: Iranian Dissident Director’s Film Wins Top Award, Palme d’Or at Cannes Fest 2025

Cannes Fest Awards: Jafar Panahi Wins Palme d’Or for ‘It Was Just an Accident,’ ‘The Secret Agent’ Earns Dual Prizes, Best Director and Actor

It Was Just an Accident
Courtesy Cannes Film Festival

Bringing a turbulent world together through cinema, the 78th Cannes Film Fest went smoothly, despite hosting a day of films honoring Ukraine at the outset and provocative films from Israel and Gaza in various sections.

But then a massive power blackout that hit the entire region on the final day of the festival, disrupting screenings and causing general confusion among festgoers.

Fortunately, the festival had backup generators running, ensuring that the show would go on at the Palais, where jury president Juliette Binoche and eight other artists took the stage to present their awards at the closing ceremony.

No Awards for American Movies

The year after an American film (Anora) won the Palme d’Or and then went on to Oscar glory, the country was shut out of the awards altogether — though U.S. distributor Neon once again had rights locked up for the evening’s top prize.

The Palme d’Or went to Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi for It Was Just an Accident, a film made after the government lifted the filmmaking ban on the dissident director. Filled with equal dosage of anger and absurdist humor, the drama follows five characters who think they’ve identified the prosecutor who tortured them in prison.
The project was informed by conversations Panahi had with others during his own incarceration. Since Panahi’s first arrest in 2010, the director has continued to make films, even when expressly forbidden (as in 2011, when Panahi snuck “This Is Not a Film” on a flash drive to Cannes). The Palme represents a major vindication for his persistence.

The Grand Prix — the runner-up for the Palme — went to Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s family drama Sentimental Value, about a difficult filmmaker’s attempt to reconcile his estranged relationship with his actor daughter by casting her in his most personal film.

Accepting the award, Trier described art — and international cinema in particular — as “an alternative language of unification.”

Nadia Melliti won the best actress prize for the lesbian coming out drama, Little Sister.

Best actor honors went to Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent, in which he plays a father who disguises his identity in an attempt to evade assassination during Brazil’s military dictatorship.

Kleber Mendonça Filho won best director for the same film.

In town to support his film “Heads or Tails?” (in which he plays Buffalo Bill), John C. Reilly surprised the audience by singing “La vie en rose” — with apologies, in English. “Somehow something unexpected always happens when I’m in Cannes,” said Reilly, presenting the best screenplay prize to Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne for Young Mothers.
Jury Prize: Tie

The jury prize was split between Spanish director Olivier Laxe for Sirat and Sound of Falling from German helmer Mascha Schilinski, arguably the two most original voices in this year’s competition.

The jury also gave a special prize to Chinese director Bi Gan for Resurrection.

Alice Rohrwacher presented the Camera d’Or trophy for first feature to The President’s Cake director Hasan Hadi, who accepted the first award ever presented to an Iraqi film in Cannes.

This year’s majority-female jury included Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher, Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia, French-Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani, American stars Halle Berry and Jeremy Strong, South Korean auteur Hong Sangsoo, Mexican director Carlos Reygadas and Congolese filmmaker Dieudo Hamadi.

Full list of prizes below.

COMPETITION

Palme d’Or: “It Was Just an Accident,” Jafar Panahi

Grand Prix: “Sentimental Value,” Joachim Trier

Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho, “The Secret Agent”

Actor: Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent”

Actress: Nadia Melliti, “Little Sister”

Jury Prize — TIE: “Sirat,” Olivier Laxe AND “Sound of Falling,” Mascha Schilinski

Special Award (Prix Spécial): “Resurrection,” Bi Gan

Screenplay: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, “Young Mothers”

OTHER PRIZES

Camera d’Or: ”The President’s Cake,” Hasan Hadi

Camera d’Or Special Mention: “My Father’s Shadow,” Akinola Davies Jr.

Short Film Palme d’Or: “I’m Glad You’re Dead Now,” Tawfeek Barhom

Short Film Special Mention: “Ali,” Adnan Al Rajeev

Golden Eye Documentary Prize: “Imago,” Déni Oumar Pitsaev

Golden Eye Special Jury Prize: “The Six Billion Dollar Man,” Eugene Jarecki

Queer Palm: “Little Sister,” Hafsia Heerzi

Palme Dog: Panda, “The Love That Remains”

FIPRESCI Award (Un Certain Regard): “Urchin,” Harris Dickinson

FIPRESCI Award (Parallel Sections): “Dandelion’s Odyssey,” Momoko Seto

UN CERTAIN REGARD

Un Certain Regard Award: “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo,” Diego Céspedes

Jury Prize: “A Poet,” Simón Mesa Soto

Best Director Prize: Tarzan and Arab Nasser, “Once Upon a Time in Gaza”

Performance Awards: Cléo Diara, “I Only Rest in the Storm”; Frank Dillane, “Urchin”

Best Screenplay: Harry Lighton, “Pillion”

Special Mention: “Norah,” Tawfik Alzaidi

DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT

Europa Cinemas Label: “Wild Foxes,” Valéry Carnoy

Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers Prize: “Wild Foxes,” Valéry Carnoy

Audience Choice Award: “The President’s Cake,” Hasan Hadi

CRITICS’ WEEK

Grand Prize: “A Useful Ghost,” Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke

French Touch Prize: “Imago,” Déni Oumar Pitsaev

GAN Foundation Award for Distribution: Le Pacte, “Left-Handed Girl”

Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award: Théodore Pellerin, “Nino”

Leitz Cine Discovery Prize (short film): “L’mina,” Randa Maroufi

Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers Prize: Guillermo Galoe and Victor Alonso-Berbel, “Sleepless City”

Canal+ Short Film Award: “Erogenesis,” Xandra Popescu

IMMERSIVE COMPETITION

“From Dust,” Michel van der Aa

Share this:
Share this page via Email Share this page via Stumble Upon Share this page via Digg this Share this page via Facebook Share this page via Twitter