France: An Iranian thriller tackling state violence and corruption has won the Palme d’Or, the highest honour at the Cannes Film Festival. It Was Just an Accident, directed by acclaimed dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi, was awarded the prestigious prize.
The festival’s final day was briefly disrupted by a power outage that swept across southeastern France, but the ceremony resumed with a thunderous standing ovation for Panahi, who has long faced persecution in Iran for his politically charged films.
Banned from leaving Iran for over 15 years and frequently imprisoned, Panahi has continued to create cinema in defiance of censorship. Inspired in part by his own experiences behind bars, the film follows Vahid, a man who abducts someone he thinks was his prison torturer, a one-legged man who ruined his life. Vahid seeks out other survivors to confirm the man’s identity before deciding his fate. The film has drawn praise for its inventive blend of dark humour and harrowing drama.
Jury president Juliette Binoche described Panahi’s work as a testament to the redemptive power of art. Juliette Binoche remarked that, “Art mobilises the creative energy of the most precious, most alive part of us. A force that transforms darkness into forgiveness, hope and new life.”
The Grand Prix went to Sentimental Value, Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier’s latest family drama, which follows his acclaimed film The Worst Person in the World.
Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho won best director for The Secret Agent, a political thriller that also earned Wagner Moura the best actor award. The jury prize was shared between two films — Oliver Laxe’s desert-set Sirat and Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling, a German drama spanning multiple generations.
Best actress went to Nadia Melliti for her performance in The Little Sister, a French coming-of-age drama directed by Hafsia Herzi. In a historic first, Iraq won recognition at Cannes with The President’s Cake by Hasan Hadi, which received the Camera d’Or for Best First Film.
The festival unfolded with global political tension, with ongoing discussions about the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, and the broader state of international cinema. More than 900 artists signed an open letter condemning the genocide in Gaza, organisers confirmed.
Elsewhere, US President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on foreign-made films also stirred anxiety among filmmakers over the future of international collaboration in cinema.
The Cannes closing ceremony came hours after a major power outage hit southeastern France, disrupting traffic lights and shuttering shops along key tourist routes. Authorities are investigating arson as a possible cause.
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