IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit 'It Was Just an Accident' Director Jafar Panahi
Dec 19, 2025
In a captivating discussion, Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi shares insights from his career marked by resilience against censorship. He reveals how his 2022 imprisonment inspired his latest film, infusing it with the experiences of fellow inmates. Panahi delves into his creative process, using debates among prisoners to shape dialogue and characters. He also reflects on his techniques for shooting clandestinely, directing nonprofessionals, and the film's intricate sound design rooted in interrogation memories, all while hoping to inspire future change.
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Film Born From Imprisonment
- After his 2022 imprisonment, Jafar Panahi decided to make a film to honor and help his fellow inmates.
- He returned to filmmaking slowly and used cinema as a way to process and serve those experiences.
Censorship Reshapes Iranian Filmmaking
- Panahi explains that submitting scripts to the Ministry of Guidance changes the nature of independent cinema.
- He and many younger Iranian filmmakers therefore continue clandestine methods to preserve creative freedom.
Hidden Cameras and a Raid
- For Taxi Panahi hid multiple small cameras inside props because he felt nervous bringing a camera into public.
- For It Was Just An Accident he gradually shot outside, faced a raid, but had already hidden dailies and continued after delays.