It Was Just An Accident

Directed by Jafar Panahi
Iran
2025
102 mins

Synopsis

Direct from the Cannes Competition, Jafar Panahi’s road movie thriller melds moral dilemmas, comic moments and shocking revelations to extraordinary, potent effect.

Despite a range of obstacles, from banning orders to imprisonment, Panahi – the subject of a comprehensive retrospective at SFF this year – remains unfailingly resolute in his determination to make films. “I’m a filmmaker. I can’t do anything else but make films,” he says. It Was Just an Accident begins with a family traveling on an isolated road, where an unfortunate bump in the road leads to their car being slightly damaged. At the repair shop in the middle of the night, a worker observes something that triggers a memory with immense repercussions.

With his new film, Panahi reimagines the Iranian road movie, taking the audience on a thrilling and devastating emotional rollercoaster involving a great ensemble cast. As Panahi says: “I don’t make political films, I make humanistic films.” Here he is at his most humanistic – presenting us with characters whose circumstances might well be very different from our own, but whose dilemmas, and choices between forgiveness and retribution, immerse us fully.

Limited seats are available for patrons requiring access for wheelchairs, low vision and hearing loop. Please contact our ticketing team directly on 1300 733 733 or tickets@sff.org.au to complete your booking.

Tickets

Fri 13 June 2025, 8:15pm
State Theatre
WheelchairSubtitledAssisted Listening
Sat 14 June 2025, 11:30am
State Theatre
WheelchairSubtitledAssisted Listening
Sun 15 June 2025, 1:45pm
Ritz Cinemas Randwick - Cinema 5
WheelchairSubtitledAssisted Listening
  • Program Strand
  • Year
    2025
  • Classification
    Unclassified 15+
  • Country
    Iran, France, Luxembourg
  • Language
    In Farsi with English subtitles
  • Director
    Jafar Panahi
  • Producer
    Jafar Panahi, Philippe Martin
  • Cast
    Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi
  • Screenwriter
    Jafar Panahi
  • Cinematographer
    Amin Jafari
  • Editor
    Amir Etminan
  • Genre
  • Premiere
    Australian Premiere
  • Company Credits
    Australian Distributor: Madman Entertainment
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