Latest in Jafar Panahi

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has been released from Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. The news was confirmed by Panahi's wife Tahereh Saeidi and her lawyers to local media and on social media. Lawyer Saleh Nikbakht said: “Although I am happy about Mr. Panahi’s release, it must be said that his…

Dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has gone on a hunger strike to protest his ongoing detention at Iran's notoriously harsh Evin prison, even though his sentence has been declared void by the country’s Supreme Court. The move comes just days after hopes that the director was on the verge of…

Jafar Panahi's wife Tahereh Saeedi issued a fresh appeal for her imprisoned husband to be released as his period of captivity entered 200 days, in an Instagram post on Thursday. Her statement follows the news at the weekend that Panahi was possibly on the verge of being released on bail after his…

Sideshow and Janus Films have unveiled a new U.S. trailer for No Bears — the ninth feature from acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi (Taxi, The Circle), which will open at the Film Forum in New York this Friday, December 23 before debuting at the Laemmle Royale in Los Angeles on January 13. In No…

Editor's Note: For months now, Iranian screenwriter and satirist Nicole Najafi has been determinedly raising awareness on social media from her home in New York, posting reportage coming to her direct from Iran as the people push back against the regime, and using her growing platform to explain the situat…

An Iranian government official has warned that action will be taken against celebrities who publicly show support for anti-government protests, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody. These demonstrations have garnered an unprecedented level of public support from a number of prominent…

Iranian director Jafar Panahi remains behind bars in Tehran but his cinema continues to travel. In a fresh sales announcement, Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired all U.S rights and Films We Like has taken all Canadian rights to Panahi's Venice Special Jury Prize winner 'No Bears'. Celluloid Dreams handles…

Every film Jafar Panahi makes is an act of resistance. Currently in jail, the Iranian director has spent the past 12 years in and out of house arrest, banned from traveling or making films outside Iran and faced with numerous obstacles making films at home. That hasn't stopped him. In No Bears, he goes to a village…

A panel of international figures joined forces today at the Venice Festival to pledge their support for filmmakers suffering oppression, harassment and imprisonment around the world. Participants in the panel included the Director of the Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera, Vanja Kaludjercic (Croatia, Festival…

Tahereh Saeedi, the wife of imprisoned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, has described her husband's recent imprisonment as being tantamount to "a kidnapping". Panahi has been in custody since July 12 after going to the prosecutor's office in Tehran to follow up on the whereabouts of filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and…

The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR), the Amsterdam-based body set up in 2019 to support cinema professionals in danger, has posted an open letter addressing the recent crackdown on Iran's filmmaking community. "The last weeks have seen a wave of arrests amongst the filmmaking and artistic…

The Cannes Film Festival has put its weight behind calls for the immediate release of Iranian filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof, Mostafa Aleahmad and Jafar Panahi. Berlin Golden Bear winner Rasoulof and his colleague Aleahmad were reportedly arrested last Friday after showing support for popular protests against the…