Iranian director and dissident Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or tonight at the 78th Cannes International Film Festival for his film ''It Was Just an Accident'', which was filmed in secret.
Panahi (64) was able to attend the Cannes Film Festival for the first time in 15 years and receive the award, which was presented to him by the president of the jury, French actress Juliette Binoche.
After receiving the award, the director said that the most important thing is the freedom of his country.
Panahi, who has been imprisoned twice in Iran, a country he was unable to leave until recently, has vowed to return home after the Cannes Film Festival, despite the risk of an adverse reaction from the authorities.
The Cannes Film Festival, which began on May 13th and during which 22 films competed for the top prize, concluded tonight with the awarding of the Palme d'Or.
During the festival, documentaries about Ukraine were shown on the day dedicated to the war conflict in that country.
The festival organizers announced that Ukraine Day is dedicated to reminding us of the engagement of artists, authors, and journalists who speak out about the conflict in the heart of Europe, which has been affecting the Ukrainian people and the entire world for three years.
The festival also discussed the war in the Pojas region, and the entire program had a tone of political engagement.
The festival began with the awarding of the honorary Palme d'Or to Robert De Niro (81), a Hollywood great who has criticized US President Donald Trump.
Other awards
The Grand Jury Prize, the second most important, went to the Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value" by Joakim Trier.
The Brazilian political thriller "The Secret Agent" by Kléber Mendonça Filho won two major awards: Filho received the award for best director, and Vagner Moura for best actor.
The jury prize was shared between two films: "Sirât", a desert journey by Oliver Laks, and the German generational drama "Sound of Falling" by Masha Šilinski.
The award for best actress went to Nadiya Melita for the film "The Little Sister", a coming-of-age drama directed by Hafsiya Herzi.
Belgian brothers Jean-Luc and Pierre Dardenne, two-time Palme d'Or winners, won the award for best screenplay for their new drama "Young Mothers."
The award for best debut film went to Hassan Hadi for the film "The President's Cake", which is also the first time that an Iraqi film has won an award at the festival.
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