Film still "A Simple Accident" ©Jafar Panahi Productions / Les Films Pelleas
[Paris, France | AFP] – The Palme d’Or winner A Simple Accident, by Iranian director Jafar Panahi and co-produced in France, will represent France at the Oscars, the CNC announced Wednesday in a press release. The CNC is in charge of the country’s selection.
For CNC president Gaëtan Bruel, this choice shows that France “is the beating heart of international co-productions and a land of welcome for creators from all over the world, especially those prevented from working in their own countries.”
Jafar Panahi, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in May for his clandestinely shot film, has been imprisoned twice in his home country, to which he returned after receiving his award.
Recognized as one of the major figures of Iranian cinema, the filmmaker had already won several distinctions, notably in Berlin and Venice. However, he had never before competed at the Oscars.
“The only way to compete at the Oscars is to be submitted by a country, and Iran has never wanted Jafar Panahi to represent Iran,” explained Philippe Martin, founder of Les Films de Pelléas, which co-produced the film, speaking to AFP.
“I’m also very happy because this film carries such a strong political message that the more it resonates, the more it is seen, the more it is talked about, the better it will be,” he added.
The French production company had also co-produced Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet, which won the Oscar for Best Screenplay in 2024 after taking the Palme d’Or the previous year.
In 2015, the CNC had already selected a foreign-language film to represent France in the American competition, with Mustang by French-Turkish director Deniz Gamze Ergüven.
