How Jafar Panahi assembled a team of dissident artists to make his risky new film

In Jafar Panahi’s acclaimed thriller “It Was Just an Accident,” it’s a chiseled dependable that alerts Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), a mechanic, that the antheral who tortured him successful situation mightiness beryllium dangerously close.

After proceeding it, helium embarks connected a rage-fueled ngo to kidnap and termination the interrogator. But Vahid is not definite helium has the close man, truthful helium enlists a radical of different victims to assistance place him. What ensues is simply a brilliantly taut ensemble piece.

The latest from the Iranian maestro earned the Palme d’Or astatine the Cannes Film Festival and is present a large contender this awards season, representing France astatine the Oscars successful the planetary diagnostic category. Iran would not taxable the politically charged film.

“Because the auditory consciousness of prisoners is usually strongest supra each the different senses, I thought that I would statesman the movie with a sound,” a stoic Panahi says via an interpreter successful a edifice country successful Santa Monica. “In prison, you support trying to conjecture if this dependable that you perceive belongs to an older person, a younger person, what helium looks similar and what helium does successful life.”

A country from “It Was Just an Accident.”

(Neon)

Panahi is nary alien to being deprived of his freedom. Arrested successful 2022 for his outspokenness against the regime’s practices, helium spent 7 months successful prison. It wasn’t until helium went connected a hunger onslaught that his close to ineligible practice was granted.

Without an lawyer present, Panahi explains, interrogators blindfold detainees and basal down them, either asking questions straight oregon penning them connected a portion of insubstantial and handing it to the detained, who lifts their blindfold conscionable capable to work it. An interrogation astir identical to that statement plays retired successful past year’s Oscar-nominated movie “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” by Mohammad Rasoulof, 1 of Panahi’s longtime collaborators.

“I had not really seen Rasoulof’s movie due to the fact that erstwhile we marque films clandestinely, we don’t speech astir them, adjacent with our adjacent friends,” helium explains. “I didn’t adjacent cognize what his movie was about. Only erstwhile I got to France to premix [‘It Was Just an Accident’], and Rasoulof’s movie was retired successful theaters there, that’s erstwhile I saw it.”

Making films connected the outskirts of legality nether an authoritarian authorities entails high-stakes discretion. The publication for “It Was Just an Accident” ne'er near Panahi’s show erstwhile casting.

“To each of the actors, I gave the publication successful my ain apartment,” helium recalls. “I told them, ‘Read it here, don’t instrumentality it with you. Go and deliberation astir it for 24 hours, and past archer maine whether you privation to beryllium a portion of it.’” Everyone successful the stellar cast, composed of dissident artists with varying degrees of acquisition successful beforehand of the camera, was alert of the risks it entailed.

Jafar Panahi.

(Kate Dockeray / For The Times)

Mobasseri had appeared successful Panahi’s erstwhile effort, “No Bears,” portion Majid Panahi, who plays a groom swept up successful the strategy by his vengeful bride, is the director’s nephew. Mariam Afshari, arsenic a lensman who besides joins the plot, had minimal acting experience, but had been progressive successful different productions successful below-the-line roles. Panahi says helium casts actors based connected however their carnal traits lucifer the quality helium has successful mind.

That was the lawsuit with the gangly and thin Ebrahim Azizi, who appears arsenic Eghbal, the antheral the radical believes was their ruthless captor. For a country adjacent the extremity wherever Eghbal breaks down, reasoning he’s astir to beryllium killed, Panahi placed his spot successful Azizi — who lone acts successful underground films, not state-approved projects — to convey the tempestuous humanity of a presumed villain.

“I felt a immense load connected my shoulders erstwhile I near situation that made maine consciousness I owed thing to my chap prisoners who were near behind,” Panahi says. “I said this to Ebrahim Azizi, ‘Now the full load of this movie is connected your shoulders with your acting, and you person to enactment that load down with utmost commitment.’”

The archetypal clip Panahi changeable that searing scene, helium sensed it wasn’t coming together. After all, his lone acquisition with real-life interrogators was from the receiving extremity of their questioning. “I went to 1 of my friends, Mehdi Mahmoudian, who has spent one-fourth of his beingness successful prison,” helium says. “I told him, ‘Because you cognize these property types precise well, travel and archer this histrion what to do.’ He guided [Azizi] and we took 2 oregon 3 much takes and it was done.”

Amid the hard-hitting motivation play of “It Was Just an Accident,” moments that warrant a chuckle for their realistic absurdity mightiness astonishment immoderate viewers. However, a interaction of sardonic levity has ever been portion of Panahi’s storytelling.

“Humor conscionable flows done life. You cannot halt it,” helium says.

To marque his point, Panahi recalls a morbid representation from erstwhile helium was astir 10 years old. One of his friends had mislaid his father. Disturbed, the lad threatened to instrumentality his ain life. Panahi and his different friends followed him to effort to halt him if helium did successful information effort to wounded himself.

Determined, the lad announced helium would basal successful the mediate of the roadworthy and propulsion himself successful beforehand of a ample vehicle. “We were fortunate due to the fact that we were successful a precise isolated portion of municipality and determination were nary existent large cars passing by,” helium says. “Two hours aboriginal we were each sitting successful a movie theater. Humor is ever there. It’s not truly successful my hands.”