Director banned from making films: 4 movies by Cannes Film Festival winner Jafar Panahi

What film did he secretly shoot and pass inside a cake for showing in Cannes? And which film is banned in his home country?

The top award of the 78th Cannes Film Festival in 2025 went to Iranian director Jafar Panahi for his powerful drama "It Was Just an Accident." For the first time in his career, he received the "Palme d'Or"—and it was absolutely deserved.

The film surpassed strong competitors: "The Phoenician Scheme" by Wes Anderson, "Eddington" by Ari Aster, and even "The New Wave" by Linklater.

Director Jafar Panahi in a blue jacket sits in a chair and smiles, looking to the side — Jafar Panahi

But the story about five ordinary Iranians who suddenly encounter a man who might have once been their tormentor proved stronger than any cinematic journey of his colleagues.

In his homeland, Panahi has long been out of favor: his films are banned, and he has been imprisoned twice—first for supporting anti-government protests, and second for protesting the detention of fellow directors who criticized the Iranian authorities.

Yet he continues to make films—some almost clandestinely, with the help of friends, and always about important issues.

If you haven't seen his works yet—here are four films to start (and must) getting acquainted with Jafar's creativity.

"This Is Not a Film" (2011)

A director who is banned from filming picks up a camera... and films.

Panahi simply locks himself in his apartment while under house arrest and begins to narrate the script of the film he was not allowed to make.

Trailer for 'This Is Not a Film'

This is an astonishingly personal chronicle of the ban on creativity. The film was smuggled out of the country on a flash drive hidden in a cake. It was shown during a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011.

"Taxi" (2015)

Panahi gets behind the wheel of a regular taxi in Tehran and drives passengers around, filming the events to circumvent a judicial ban on filmmaking.

Trailer for the film 'Taxi'

In the car, there are intimate yet sharp conversations about power, morality, and art. Under the guise of a city tour, it's a profound social film. The movie received the "Golden Bear" at the Berlin International Film Festival.

"Three Faces" (2018)

An actress and a director travel to a village on the Iran-Azerbaijan border after receiving a distressing video from a young girl asking for help, who then suddenly disappears. The main characters set out to find her.

Trailer for the film 'Three Faces'

The plot seems like a detective story, but in reality, it's an exploration of women's freedom and traditions in rural areas. Panahi filmed the movie in secret once again. It was shown at Cannes, where it received the award for Best Screenplay.

"The Circle" (2000)

This is one of Panahi's most intense and straightforward films. Several stories of women facing repression, patriarchy, and despair in modern Iranian reality. Banned in Iran but awarded the "Golden Lion" in Venice.

Trailer for the film 'The Circle'

Every Panahi film is on the edge. Between the permissible and the forbidden, the fictional and the documentary, the personal and the universal. And this is where its true power lies. Previously, we at zoomboola.com talked about the five best anime of all time according to the stars of "Stranger Things".