On the pod this week, I chat with Iranian-American essayist and novelist Porochista Khakpour to unpack Jafar Panahi’s remarkable Cannes win for his new film, It Was Just An Accident; a darkly funny revenge thriller about a group of men and women banding together after one kidnaps a man they believe tortured them in prison. Panahi, 64, is a true renegade, whose artistry is matched only by his incredible courage. He’s been imprisoned in Iran several times, gone on hunger strike to protest his imprisonment and the detention of his fellow filmmakers, and had his film career surveilled and suppressed by the Iranian authorities. Legend has it he had to smuggle one of his films out of the country in a USB stick hidden inside a birthday cake to evade the country’s notorious censors. But with the world’s media watching, and despite the very real threat of blowback from the Iranian government, Panahi used his Cannes acceptance speech as a call to action for Iranians around the world, urging them to “set aside all problems, all differences” and focus on freedom for the country. “I believe this is the moment to call on all people, all Iranians, with all their differing opinions, wherever they are in the world – in Iran or abroad – to allow me to ask for one thing…let’s set aside all problems, all differences. What matters most right now is our country and the freedom of our country.” — Jafar Panahi, accepting the Palme d’Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on May 24, 2025. I wanted to ask Porochista how she felt as a fellow Iranian living in the diaspora, and as an artist who has long been hopeful- like me- for an Iran free from theocracy and violence. What followed was a freewheeling conversation about identity, politics and culture, which I hope you all enjoy. Why has Panahi been persecuted by Iranian authorities? Imprisoned multiple times by Iranian authorities—most recently released in February 2023 after a hunger strike—Panahi’s films often stem from the harsh realities he’s endured. It Was Just An Accident was inspired by conversations with inmates in Evin Prison, made in secret despite a 20-year ban on him making films, an unwelcome provision of a jail sentence he received after participating in the 2009 Green Movement protests. His Cannes appearance marks his first on the Croisette since 2003, a rare moment outside Iran’s borders. Despite the risks, Panahi continues to make films, supporting fellow artists, and defying the regime’s censorship. He’s also made the choice to stay in Iran - rather than live and work in exile, something we unpack on the pod. As Porochista notes: “This [Panahi’s Cannes win] is such a triumph, especially for a filmmaker who's been so adamant about his activism.” Porochista’s own family fled Iran during the 1979 revolution when she was just a year-old, and like so many Iranians, she works and creates her art in exile. From her eclectic and provocative collection of essays Brown Album, to her new novel Tehrangeles, delve into what it means to belong, to be displaced, self-style an identity, and fight for your own voice. What’s the current status of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement? And other questions… My conversation with Porochista was rooted in the themes of identity, self-determination and cultural expression, rather than a dissection of the current geo-political moment. But, as always when discussing Iran and the complexities of the systems currently governing the nation, it feels important to punctuate some of the beats of our discussion with some additional important context. Here is a Q&A that I hope does that: * Q: Recently, we’ve seen a flurry of media activity in the country, with many foreign news outlets being allowed back inside Iran for the first time in a while. This week, for instance, the Washington Post reported from inside the country for the first time in 10-years. Why? A: Well, we often see these moments of perceived softening of press freedoms* when there is a political maneuver the country is attempting to make. Currently, the country is in low-level talks with the Trump administration to enter into a potential new nuclear deal, and negotiate its way out of the crippling sanctions which have decimated Iran’s economy. It also wants to avoid an Israeli strike against it, which has been floated by Israeli PM Netanyahu in recent weeks. (*Note: this doesn’t apply to journalists inside the country, who are frequently targeted and imprisoned or muzzled. Iran remains one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists.) * Q: In our conversation, Porochista and I note the “hero’s welcome” (quotation marks intentional) that Panahi was given when he arrived back in Tehran a few days after his Cannes win. And Panahi himself gave an interview to The Hollywood Reporter where he stated, “the court invalidated all the sentences against me. They were all canceled, so now there is no legal case against me, and I have no legal issues.” Is this the end of the story? A: No. I want to underscore, as I did on the podcast, that Panahi’s comments don’t mean he is not in potential legal peril. The Islamic Republic is self-interested, and almost all of its actions are to preserve and perpetuate its own existence, often at the expense of Iranian people. If the regime believes Panahi to be a threat, it will - as it has in the past - conjure up spurious criminal charges against him. * Q: If Panahi feels able to go back and live/work inside Iran, why don’t other prominent Iranians? A: Panahi’s very personal decision is by no means him absolving or downplaying the cruelty of the Islamic Republic. As he noted in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter: “Now there are Iranian artists, Iranian directors all over the world. They have had to leave their homeland and adapt to another society, and some of them have been able to create elsewhere and make films that are important, films that are being seen and celebrated. I must say that all these compatriots of mine have an ability that I don’t have. I’m just completely incapable of adjusting to another society other than my own. Whenever I leave Iran, I realize I’m not able to survive in another country, to live there, to work there, or make a film there. I’m just not able to survive and adapt to a new environment, to a new society. I had to be in Paris for three and a half months for the post-production of this film, and I thought I was going to die. It was so difficult for me, professionally and personally.” Panahi underscores that his decision is absolutely personal and not a reflection on an increased level of safety for him or other artists, or dissenters, in the country. Indeed, after the festival drew to a close, Iran summoned the French Ambassador to Iran for his comments about Panahi’s win, when he referred to the film “as a gesture of resistance against the Iranian regime's oppression.” Human Rights Watch and other NGOs have repeatedly raised concerns against human rights violations the regime has carried out against its own people. This week, the regime conducted a spate of extrajudicial executions against minority populations, in contravention to human rights law. * Q: What is the current status of the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement? A: The movement has been largely silenced due to a sustained violent campaign by the Islamic Republic to oppress those who participated. Thousands of people were rounded up and imprisoned during the period 2022-2023. Many were killed. Protestors families were targeted, financially and physically. The backlash to the movement was felt acutely by minority groups- Jina Mahsa Amini was herself Kurdish-Iranian, who have long been persecuted by the regime and before. Yet, protests persist as Iranians find ways to rail against the status quo. Currently, a trucker strike has been disrupting the country, with everyday people rising up to protest against the poor economy, a possible hike in fuel prices, and corruption. As always, drop a comment if you have any thoughts or questions, and let me know if there are any other topics that you want us to delve into on the pod. — CMT Thanks for reading High-Key with CMT! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caromt.substack.com
