Jafar Panahi, the Iranian filmmaker long hailed for his courage and craft, made a triumphant return to the Cannes Film Festival 2025, winning the Palme d’Or for It Was Just an Accident on Saturday. This marked Panahi’s first in-person appearance at Cannes in 22 years.

Panahi, who has spent over a decade under travel bans, house arrests, and periodic detentions imposed by Iran’s Islamic Republic government, was visibly moved as he took the stage at the Grand Théâtre Lumière to accept the festival’s top honour.

“Let’s put all the problems, all the differences aside; the most important thing right now is our country and our country’s freedom,” Panahi said, to a prolonged standing ovation.

“Let’s reach that moment together when no one dares to tell us what we should completely include, what we should say, what we shouldn’t do. Cinema is a society. No one has the right to tell us what you should do, what you shouldn’t do,” the 64-year-old filmmaker added.

Coincidentally, film distributor Neon had acquired It Was Just an Accident earlier this week, making it six Palme d’Or winners in a row for the company. Neon also backed Sentimental Value, which won the Grand Prize for Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier this year. Trier dedicated the award to his grandfather.

Latin America had a strong showing at this year’s festival. Brazilian actor Wagner Moura won Best Actor for his role in The Secret Agent, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, who also picked up Best Director for the same film.

French-Tunisian actress Nadia Melliti took home Best Actress for her performance in La Petite Dernière, while the Jury Prize was shared by Oliver Laxe’s Sirat and The Sound of Falling by German filmmaker Mascha Schilinski.

The Dardenne brothers were recognised with the Best Screenplay award for Young Mothers while Chinese filmmaker Bi Gan, known for his meditative visual style, received a Special Prize for Resurrection.

The Camera d’Or for best first feature went to The President’s Cake, directed by Iraqi filmmaker Hassan Hadi, with a Special Mention for My Father’s Shadow by Akinola Davies Jr.

In the short film section, I’m Glad You’re Dead Now, directed by Tawfeek Barhom, was awarded the Short Film Palme d’Or, while Ali, by Adnan Al Rajeev, received a Special Mention.