The Cannes Film Festival and the European Film Academy issued statements on Thursday demanding the release of Iranian director Jafar Panahi, a day after reports that he had been sentenced in absentia to five years in prison. The festival and academy condemned the ruling as retaliation for his award-winning work.

Panahi won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in May 2025 for 'It Was Just an Accident', a film shot clandestinely in defiance of a long-standing ban on his filmmaking. Iranian authorities have repeatedly targeted the director, who has faced travel bans, arrests and prior convictions over the past 15 years.

The five-year sentence, reported by Panahi's legal representatives and his French distributor, also reportedly carries additional restrictions including a ban on leaving Iran and on producing films. His lawyers said they intended to appeal the verdict.

Filmmakers including past Cannes jurors and members of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations joined the condemnation, framing the case as a test of global solidarity with persecuted artists. The French Ministry of Culture also signalled its concern through formal channels.

'Jafar Panahi represents the conscience of cinema, and silencing him silences all of us,' the European Film Academy said in its statement, calling on the Iranian government to overturn the conviction immediately.