&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Insulting remarks, unfounded allegations': Iran summons French envoy over Panahi's Cannes film hailed as 'gesture of resistance against oppression'")
Iran has summoned France’s chargé d'affaires in Tehran over remarks made by the French foreign minister after an Iranian film won the top award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, had praised dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or win as “a gesture of resistance against the Iranian regime's oppression.”
His comments, made on social media platform X, were condemned by Iran as “insulting” and “unfounded,” according to a report from state news agency IRNA on Sunday.
Iran accuses France of politicising Cannes
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said it summoned the French diplomat to protest what it described as France’s use of the Cannes festival to “advance its political agenda against the Islamic Republic.”
The controversy stems from Panahi’s film It Was Just an Accident, which won the Palme d’Or on Saturday. The political drama follows five Iranians who confront a man they believe tortured them while in prison. Several actresses appear in the film without veils, in defiance of Iran’s strict dress code laws.
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Panahi says he is not afraid to return home
Jafar Panahi, 64, is known for his outspoken criticism of the Iranian government and has been banned from filmmaking in Iran since 2010. He has also faced several prison sentences over the years.
Despite his legal troubles, Panahi told the Cannes audience he would be returning to Iran. “Tomorrow we are leaving,” he said on Saturday when asked if he feared being arrested again. “Not at all.”
On Sunday, he shared a photo on Instagram with his crew, writing: “Travellers return home.”
Only the second Palme d'Or for an Iranian filmmaker
Panahi’s victory marks just the second time an Iranian director has received the prestigious Palme d’Or. The first was Abbas Kiarostami in 1997 for Taste of Cherry.
His latest film was widely praised throughout the week at Cannes, topping several critics’ polls ahead of the awards ceremony.
