An international symbol of artistic resilience and defiance, Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi imbues his works with an intense empathy for those living under an oppressive regime. For this, he has been arrested, imprisoned, and banned from making films by Iranian authorities. Coinciding with the release of his new film, It Was Just An Accident (2025), a Palme d’Or–winning and Oscar®-nominated marvel, this extensive retrospective celebrates an irrepressible force in contemporary cinema.
Written by Abbas Kiarostami, Panahi’s debut, The White Balloon (1995), exemplifies his humanistic spirit. Along with The Mirror (1997), the two films take a child’s-eye view of bustling Tehran, turning ordinary tasks into urban adventures. Both banned in his home country, The Circle (2000) and Offside (2006) deepen Panahi’s inquiry into the sexist treatment of women and girls in Iran, for whom barriers exist not only in prison, but in all facets of life.
As well as using realism to confront urgent issues, Panahi’s films give rein to witty experimentation. While Crimson Gold (2003) uses the crime genre to comment on wealth inequality, Closed Curtain (2013) turns Panahi’s own house arrest into a moving meditation on injustice and creativity. It’s one of the director’s many films that blend documentary and fiction, and one of the many in which he appears as himself. In 3 Faces (2018), he steps behind the wheel, drives around Iran, and interacts with his compatriots. Here as elsewhere, cinema emerges as a potent tool of resistance, even in times of fear. There is no limit that Panahi won’t overcome: No matter the obstacle, he goes on to make his thoroughly independent cinema by any means possible.

An international symbol of artistic resilience and defiance, Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi imbues his works with an intense empathy for those living under an oppressive regime. For this, he has been arrested, imprisoned, and banned from making films by Iranian authorities. Coinciding with the release of his new film, It Was Just An Accident (2025), a Palme d&#8217;Or–winning and Oscar®-nominated marvel, this extensive retrospective celebrates an irrepressible force in contemporary cinema.
Written by Abbas Kiarostami, Panahi&#8217;s debut, The White Balloon (1995), exemplifies his humanistic spirit. Along with The Mirror (1997), the two films take a child&#8217;s-eye view of bustling Tehran, turning ordinary tasks into urban adventures. Both banned in his home country, The Circle (2000) and Offside (2006) deepen Panahi&#8217;s inquiry into the sexist treatment of women and girls in Iran, for whom barriers exist not only in prison, but in all facets of life.
As well as using realism to confront urgent issues, Panahi&#8217;s films give rein to witty experimentation. While Crimson Gold (2003) uses the crime genre to comment on wealth inequality, Closed Curtain (2013) turns Panahi&#8217;s own house arrest into a moving meditation on injustice and creativity. It&#8217;s one of the director&#8217;s many films that blend documentary and fiction, and one of the many in which he appears as himself. In 3 Faces (2018), he steps behind the wheel, drives around Iran, and interacts with his compatriots. Here as elsewhere, cinema emerges as a potent tool of resistance, even in times of fear. There is no limit that Panahi won&#8217;t overcome: No matter the obstacle, he goes on to make his thoroughly independent cinema by any means possible.

Cinema by Any Means:  A Jafar Panahi Retrospective

CINEMA BY ANY MEANS:  A JAFAR PANAHI RETROSPECTIVE

Dedicated to the irrepressible auteur Jafar Panahi, this retrospective celebrates a towering figure of artistic resilience. There is no limit that the Iranian filmmaker won’t overcome: In the face of censorship, he continues to make poetic, independent cinema by any means possible.

Dedicated to the irrepressible auteur Jafar Panahi, this retrospective celebrates a towering figure of artistic resilience. There is no limit that the Iranian filmmaker won&#8217;t overcome: In the face of censorship, he continues to make poetic, independent cinema by any means possible.

A Jafar Panahi Retrospective