Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed on Thursday that cleric Gholamreza Ghasemian, detained earlier this week in Saudi Arabia for criticising Riyadh, had been released following diplomatic intervention.
The award for his film It Was Just an Accident, hailed as a milestone for Iranian cinema and a symbolic victory for freedom of expression, also sparked harsh criticism from pro-government media in Iran.
Panahi, a former political prisoner banned from travel and filmmaking for over a decade, received a standing ovation at the award ceremony.
The Palme d'Or was presented by acclaimed actress Cate Blanchett on Saturday night. In his acceptance speech, Panahi struck a unifying tone, calling on Iranians inside and outside the country to "set aside our differences" and work collectively toward democracy, dignity and human rights.
“Let no one tell us what to wear, what to do or what films to make,” he said, drawing repeated applause from the audience.
The moment was described by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot as a "symbolic act of resistance" against repression. “Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or revives hope for freedom fighters around the world,” Barrot wrote on X.
A national and global moment
The win drew emotional reactions from across Iranian political and artistic figures at home and abroad.
Nobel Peace Laureate Narges Mohammadi, writing from inside Iran, described Panahi as a “brave and distinguished director” whose recognition was the result of years of relentless effort to deepen human and civil values through art.
Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled heir to Iran’s former monarchy, congratulated Panahi and called the award a “great honor for Iran.” He expressed hope that Iranian filmmakers could one day work “without censorship or restriction” in their homeland.
Iranian activist Hamed Esmaeilion called Panahi a “true hero,” praising his resilience in the face of censorship and repression. “His courage inspires all who fight for justice and freedom,” he said.
Political prisoner Mehdi Mahmoudian, speaking from Tehran’s Evin Prison, said the award was “not just a cinematic honor, but a victory of truth over censorship.”
Iranian-British actress Nazanin Boniadi also praised Panahi’s speech, calling him a “unifying voice” at a time when Iranians are searching for solidarity and vision.
The wave of celebration was echoed by 135 civil, political, and cultural activists, who issued a joint statement lauding Panahi as a symbol of artistic integrity and human rights advocacy.
The statement said that Panahi had joined a rare class of filmmakers alongside legends like Michelangelo Antonioni and Robert Altman—to win all three major European film prizes: the Golden Bear (Berlin), Golden Lion (Venice), and now the Palme d’Or (Cannes).
Film made in defiance
It Was Just an Accident, a political thriller, was shot clandestinely in Iran without government authorization and in open defiance of mandatory hijab laws.
The film’s production and Panahi’s public defiance of censorship laws have drawn admiration from international film communities and rights groups.
The Cannes jury also awarded Panahi the Festival’s Citizenship Prize, recognizing his broader contributions to freedom of expression.
An increasing number of Iranian filmmakers are defying the country's strict ideological censorship by making movies without seeking the Culture Ministry's permission for screening abroad.
Last year, prominent Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi said he will not produce any films in Iran until the ban on showing women without headscarves is lifted, as people demand.
Official backlash in Tehran
Inside Iran, however, the award was met with either silence or anger from state-linked outlets.
The conservative daily Farhikhtegan, affiliated with Islamic Azad University, dismissed the honor with the headline: “Palme d’Or Turns to Rust”.
The editorial accused European film festivals of orientalist bias and suggested that Panahi’s acclaim was driven by political motives rather than artistic merit.
The Student News Agency (SNN) went further, branding Panahi a “middleman” and “Iran-seller.” It called the ceremony a “political show” orchestrated by “PR marketers.”
Despite the criticism, Panahi’s victory has reignited conversations around freedom of expression, artistic resistance, and national unity among Iranians worldwide.
As he left the stage in Cannes, Panahi expressed a simple hope: “I dream of an Iran where artists are not silenced, where truth has no borders, and where no one lives in fear for telling a story.”
Ghasemian, a senior hardline religious figure, had posted a video from Medina during the Hajj pilgrimage accusing Saudi authorities of transforming Islam’s holiest cities into commercialized entertainment hubs.
“We continue our brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia and will not allow any disruption to affect them,” Araghchi said in a statement carried by IRNA.
He added that Tehran was in close coordination with Hajj officials to ensure the uninterrupted participation of Iranian pilgrims.
In the footage, recorded shortly before his arrest, Ghasemian said Mecca and Medina had become substitutes for casinos, brothels, and obscene concerts, alleging a Saudi-led erosion of Islamic values by the country which safeguards Islam's holiest sites.
Saudi authorities detained Ghasemian in Medina, but Iranian officials say he was freed without charges and returned to Iran via Dubai early Thursday.
Majid Rezapanah, head of consular affairs at Iran’s foreign ministry, said Saudi officials granted consular access twice during his detention.
“The matter was resolved through high-level engagement and reflects the seriousness of both sides in preserving recent diplomatic gains,” Rezapanah told state media.
Ghasemian, 52, is no stranger to controversy. He was previously linked by filmmaker Javad Mogouei to a fiery speech delivered ahead of the 2016 mob attack on Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad.
The assault, triggered by the Saudi execution of prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr, led to Riyadh severing diplomatic ties with Iran until their resumption in 2023.
Since then, the two regional rivals have resumed direct flights, reopened embassies, and exchanged senior visits—including an April trip to Tehran by Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman.
the Ghasemian episode, emphasizing the broader stakes. “No one will approve of bad or offensive speech,” Iran’s ambassador to Riyadh, Alireza Enayati, posted in Arabic, aiming to reassure his Saudi hosts.
Ghasemian, now back on Iranian soil, thanked consular staff for securing his release in a post on X.
