Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident” captured the Palme d’Or in Cannes on 24 May, sealing a comeback for the Iranian director four years after Tehran lifted his travel ban. Jury president Juliette Binoche praised the thriller as “a force that transforms darkness into forgiveness, hope and new life,” moments after Panahi urged viewers to “join forces so that no one will dare tell us what we should do or wear”.
The win crowns a politically charged edition disrupted hours earlier by a Riviera power outage that briefly threatened the red-carpet broadcast yet left the closing ceremony intact. Neon, distributor of the last five Palme winners, pre-bought North-American rights to Panahi’s film during the festival, extending its awards-season run and intensifying scrutiny of whether Iran will permit a domestic release required for international-feature Oscar eligibility.
Joachim Trier’s Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value” took the Grand Prix after a 19-minute ovation, while the Jury Prize was shared by Óliver Laxe’s desert odyssey “Sirât” and Mascha Schilinski’s German generational saga “Sound of Falling.” “Sirât” has since closed distribution deals across five continents, led by Altitude in the U.K. and Mubi in southern Europe and South Asia, reflecting renewed confidence in auteur-driven fare.
Brazil figured prominently: Kleber Mendonça Filho collected best director for “The Secret Agent,” whose star Wagner Moura was named best actor. Tunisian performer Nadia Melliti earned best actress for Hafsia Herzi’s “The Little Sister.” The Dardenne brothers won screenplay honours for “Young Mothers,” and Iraq celebrated a first-ever Camera d’Or with Hasan Hadi’s “The President’s Cake”.
The nine-member jury—among them Halle Berry, Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia and actor Jeremy Strong—deliberated behind closed doors at a seaside villa. Strong later quipped that the process felt “like a conclave with champagne,” acknowledging both the secrecy and the ritual toast that followed the final ballot.
With festival trophies awarded and distribution paths settling into place, attention now shifts to Toronto and Venice, where the season’s early front-runners will test their momentum beyond the Croisette.
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Official Competition
- Palme d’Or: Un Simple Accident (It Was Just an Accident) – Jafar Panahi
- Grand Prix: Affeksjonsverdi (Sentimental Value) – Joachim Trier
- Joint Jury Prize: Sirât – Óliver Laxe & Sound of Falling – Mascha Schilinski
- Best Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho – O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent)
- Best Screenplay: Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne – Jeunes Mères (The Young Mothers’ Home)
- Best Actress: Nadia Melliti – La Petite Dernière
- Best Actor: Wagner Moura – O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent)
- Special Award (Prix Spécial): Kuang Ye Shi Dai (Resurrection) – Bi Gan
Short Films
- Palme d’Or: I’m Glad You’re Dead Now – Tawfeek Barhom
- Special Mention: Ali – Adnan Al Rajeev
Un Certain Regard
- Prize: La Misteriosa Mirada del Flamenco (The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo) – Diego Céspedes
- Jury Prize: Un Poeta (A Poet) – Simón Mesa Soto
- Best Directing: Arab & Tarzan Nasser – Once Upon a Time in Gaza
- Best Actor: Frank Dillane – Urchin (dir. Harris Dickinson)
- Best Actress: Cleo Diára – O Riso e a Faca (I Only Rest in the Storm) (dir. Pedro Pinho)
- Best Screenplay: Pillion – Harry Lighton
Caméra d’Or
- Prize: The President’s Cake – Hasan Hadi
- Special Mention: My Father’s Shadow – Akinola Davies Jr.
La Cinef (Film School Competition)
- First Prize: First Summer – Heo Gayoung
- Second Prize: 12 Moments Before the Flag-Raising Ceremony – Qu Zhizheng
- Joint Third Prize: Ginger Boy – Miki Tanaka; Winter in March – Natalia Mirzoyan
CST Technical Prizes
- Best Artist-Technician: Ruben Impens (DP) & Stéphane Thiébaut (Mixer) – Alpha
- Best Young Female Technician: Éponine Momenceau (DP) – Connemara
Immersive Competition
- Best Immersive Work: From Dust – Michel van der Aa
