It Was Just an Accident

media release: Iran | DCP | 2025 | 101 min. | Farsi with English subtitles

Director: Jafar Panahi

Cast: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi

At a car repair shop in the middle of the night, a former political prisoner encounters a man he believes to be the guard who tortured him. But how can he be sure, when he was blindfolded the whole time? A revenge saga as only master filmmaker Jafar Panahi could make it, It Was Just an Accident is morally complex, darkly comic, and absolutely gripping. Following a nearly 20-year ban on filmmaking—a period during which he nevertheless directed and starred in five daring hybrid features—Pahani’s triumphant return to narrative cinema deservedly won the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

The Premieres series continues with more early and exclusive looks at the very best in current arthouse cinema—on the big screen where they belong! This fall brings both of the grand prize-winners at this year's major European film festivals: Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident (Palme d'Or at Cannes) and Dag Johan Haugerud's Dreams (Golden Bear at Berlin). Gear up for the Cinematheque's October screening of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's cult classic Pulse by catching his latest acclaimed thriller, Cloud. Additional highlights include a found-footage hymn to video stores by Alex Ross Perry (Videoheaven), the latest whatsit from absurdist extraordinaire Quentin Dupieux (The Second Act), and the first feature directed by Greek New Wave fixture Ariane Labed (September Says). This series was made possible by a generous donation from an anonymous cinephile.

Admission free for all screenings, seating limited. No admission 15 minutes after scheduled start times. Please visit our website for a complete listing of programs and descriptions.