STORY: Revenge thriller "It Was Just An Accident" by Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who was barred from filmmaking for 15 years by the government in Tehran, won the Palme d'Or top prize on Saturday (May 24).

With the award, Panahi now has the rare honor of winning the top prize at all three major European film festivals, after nabbing Berlin's Golden Bear for "Taxi" in 2015 and the Golden Lion at Venice for "The Circle" in 2000.

The 64-year-old director, who last attended the festival in person in 2003, addressed his prize to all Iranians, saying the most important thing was Iran and the country's freedom.

" “Let us join forces, so no one can dare tell us what we kind of clothes we can wear, what we must do, what we must not do," he said, in an apparent reference to Iran's strict Islamic dress code for women.

The death in 2022 of a young Iranian Kurdish woman in the custody of the morality police for allegedly violating hijab rules sparked Iran's biggest domestic unrest since the 1979 revolution that brought its clerical rulers to power.

Panahi, who has been imprisoned several times in Iran, plans to return to his country after the festival, he told Reuters.

"It Was Just An Accident," which follows a garage owner who rashly kidnaps a one-legged man who looks like the one who tortured him in prison and then has to decide his fate, is only the second Iranian film to win, after "Taste of Cherry" in 1997.

"Art mobilizes the creative energy of the most precious, most vibrant part of us. A force that transforms into mercy, hope and new life," said jury president Juliette Binoche when announcing why they chose Panahi for the award.

Twenty-two films in total were competing for the prize at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, with entries from well-known directors Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson and Ari Aster.

Saturday's closing ceremony, which officially ends the glamour-filled festival, went off without a hitch after the Cannes area was hit by a power outage for several hours.

"Sentimental Value" from acclaimed director Joachim Trier received the Grand Prix, the second-highest prize after the Palme d'Or.

The jury prize was split between the intergenerational family drama "Sound of Falling" from German director Mascha Schilinski and "Sirat," about a father and son who head into the Moroccan desert, by French-Spanish director Oliver Laxe.

Brazil's "The Secret Agent" was handed two awards, one for best actor for Wagner Moura, as well as best director for Kleber Mendonca Filho.

"I was having champagne," said Mendonca Filho after he ran up to the stage again to collect his own award after celebrating the win for Moura, who was not in attendance.

Newcomer Nadia Melliti took home best actress for "The Little Sister," a queer coming-of-age story about the daughter of Algerian immigrants in Paris.

Belgium's Dardenne brothers, who have the rare honor of already having won two Palme d'Or prizes, took home the award for best screenplay for their film "Young Mothers."

Iraqi director Hasan Hadi won the first Cannes prize for his country, taking home the Camera d'Or, an honour for first-time directors, for his film "The President's Cake" - a story of a nine-year-old who needs to bake a cake for Saddam Hussein or face punishment.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: CANNES, FRANCE (MAY 24, 2025) (FRANCE TELEVISIONS/BRUT/AFFIF- Broadcast: No use France/ Only 90 seconds total of 78th Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony material can be used/ No re-use after 1750GMT May 26, 2025 /Must on-screen courtesy ‘Images France Télévisions / Brut / AFFIF’/ No blurring of France 2 logo/ No zooming-in on image/ Editorial use only.

Digital: No use France/ Only 90 seconds total of 78th Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony material can be used / No re-use after 1750GMT May 26, 2025 / Must on-screen courtesy ‘Images France Télévisions / Brut / AFFIF’/ No blurring of France 2 logo/ No zooming-in on image/ Material can be used only for online version of news bulletins, which contains clips from the opening ceremony, and only on the website of the news channel.)

1. CANNES JURY PRESIDENT JULIETTE BINOCHE ANNOUNCING WINNER OF PALME D'OR, SAYING (French): “This is why we chose for the Palme d’Or ’It Was Just An Accident’ by Jafar Panahi.” / CUTAWAYS OF AUDIENCE OVER SOUNDBITE

2. IRANIAN FILM DIRECTOR JAFAR PANAHI CRYING OUT AND RAISING HIS ARMS

3. CAST AND PRODUCTION CREW OF “IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT” STANDING AND APPLAUDING

4. PANAHI STANDING FROM SEAT

5. AUDIENCE IN GRAND LUMIERE THEATRE

6. VARIOUS OF PANAHI APPLAUDING

7. ACTOR CATE BLANCHETT APPLAUDING

8. JURY MEMBERS APPLAUDING

9. PANAHI WALKING ON STAGE

10. VARIOUS OF PANAHI ACCEPTING AWARD FROM BINOCHE AND BLANCHETT

11. BINOCHE HUGGING PANAHI

12. VARIOUS OF CEREMONY

14. (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) DIRECTOR OF “IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT”, JAFAR PANAHI, SAYING:

“It’s very difficult to take the floor.”

15. INTERPRETER APPROACHING PODIUM

16. AUDIENCE AND STAGE

17. (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) DIRECTOR OF “IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT”, JAFAR PANAHI, SAYING:

“Let’s just set aside all our differences and problems. What’s most important now is our country, and its freedom."

18. AUDIENCE APPLAUDING

19. VARIOUS OF CAST MEMBERS AND JURY MEMBERS APPLAUDING

20. (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) DIRECTOR OF “IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT”, JAFAR PANAHI, SAYING:

“Let us join forces, so no one can dare tell us what we kind of clothes we can wear, what we must do, what we must not do.”

21. CAST MEMBERS HADIS PAKBATEN (L) AND MARIAM AFSHARI (R) CRYING

22. VARIOUS OF CEREMONY

23. (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) DIRECTOR OF “IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT”, JAFAR PANAHI, SAYING:

“Cinema is a society. Nobody is entitled to tell us what we should do or refrain from doing.”

24. CEREMONY

25. VARIOUS OF PANAHI HOLDING PALME D’OR AWARD

26. JURY MEMBER AND ACTOR, JEREMY STRONG, PRESENTING GRAND PRIX AWARD TO “SENTIMENTAL VALUE” BY JOACHIM TRIER

27. AUDIENCE

28. TRIER BEING CONGRATULATED BY CAST MEMBERS INGA IBSDOTTER LILLEAAS, RENATE REINSVE AND ELLE FANNING

29. TRIER ACCEPTING AWARD

30. IBSDOTTER LILLEAAS AND REINSVE APPLAUDING

31. VARIOUS OF TRIER THANKING JURY

32. JURY

33. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF “SENTIMENTAL VALUE”, JOACHIM TRIER, SAYING:

“Cannes holds a special place in my heart. My grandfather, Eric Loechen, was here with his film in 1960 called ‘The Hunt,’ ‘La Chasse’ ‘Jakten’ in Norwegian. He was a resistance fighter during the Second World War in Norway during the occupation and was captured. And I think his way of trying to survive after the war was to play jazz music and to make movies. And I think it made a great deal to him to be allowed to come to, from a small European country in the north, to share his cinema in an international context of humanism and understanding. So I wanna dedicate this to my grandfather.”

34. CEREMONY

35. TRIER HOLDING GRAND PRIX AWARD

36. JURY MEMBER, DIRECTOR HONG SANG-SOO, ANNOUNCING BEST ACTOR PRIZE FOR WAGNER MOURA FOR “THE SECRET AGENT”

37. CEREMONY

38. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF “THE SECRET AGENT”, KLEBER MENDONCA FILHO, SAYING:

“I was very very lucky to have had the opportunity of working with Wagner Moura. He’s not only a great actor he's also a great person. I love him very much and I hope ‘O Agente Secret’ will bring him great many things.”

39. BINOCHE, JURY MEMBER - WRITER LEILA SLIMANI, HONG AND STRONG

40. MENDONCA FILHO HOLDING GRAND PRIX PRIZE, STANDING NEXT TO ACTOR ROSSY DE PALMA / WALKING ACROSS STAGE

41. JURY MEMBER - ACTOR HALLE BERRY - ANNOUNCING BEST ACTRESS FOR NADIA MELLITI, FROM “THE LITTLE SISTER”

42. AUDIENCE

43. VARIOUS OF MELLITI STANDING AND HUGGING “THE LITTLE SISTER DIRECTOR” HAFSIA HERZI

44. MELLITI RECEIVING AWARD

45. HERZI CLAPPING

46. HERZI CRYING

47. (SOUNDBITE) (French) ACTOR FROM “THE LITTLE SISTER” NADIA MELLITI SAYING:

“I’m so overwhelmed, I can’t describe my feelings, it’s really incredible. I want to thank Hafsia Herzi, my director.”

48. HERZI WATCHING

49. MELLITI SPEAKING

50. (SOUNDBITE) (French) ACTOR FROM “THE LITTLE SISTER” NADIA MELLITI SAYING:

“Thank you too mom, I know you’re watching. I hope that you’re proud and happy.”

51. VARIOUS OF MELLITI HOLDING UP BEST ACTRESS PRIZE WITH ACTOR DANIEL AUTEUIL

52. JURY MEMBER - DIRECTOR PAYAL KAPADIA - ANNOUNCING BEST DIRECTOR FOR KLEBER MENDONCA FILHO FOR “THE SECRET AGENT”

53. AUDIENCE

54. FILM TEAM OF “THE SECRET AGENT”

55. VARIOUS OF MENDONCA FILHO WALKING FROM BACK STAGE, ACCEPTING AWARD FROM DIRECTOR CLAUDE LELLOUCH

56. FILHO SAYING (English): “I was having champagne.”

57. (SOUNDBITE) (French/English) DIRECTOR OF “THE SECRET AGENT” KLEBER MENDONCA FILHO SAYING:

“(French) My country, Brazil, is a country full of beauty and poetry. I’m proud to be here this evening, to accept this prize. I’m very happy. (Switches to English) I think the Cannes Film Festival is the best film show in the planet. Thank you very much.”

58. CEREMONY

59. VARIOUS OF FILHO HOLDING PRIZE, STANDING NEXT TO LELLOUCH

60. JURY MEMBER - DIRECTOR CARLOS REYGADAS - ANNOUNCING JURY PRIZE FOR DIRECTOR MASCHA SCHILINSKI FOR “SOUND OF FALLING”

61. CEREMONY

62. VARIOUS OF SCHILINSKI BEING CONGRATULATED BY FILM TEAM

63. SCHILINSKI WALKING ON STAGE TO ACCEPT JURY PRIZE FROM ACTOR DA VINE JOY RANDOLPH

64. JURY MEMBER - ACTOR ALBA ROHRWACHER - ANNOUNCING TIE FOR JURY PRIZE, THE FIRST GOING TO “SIRAT” BY OLIVER LAXE

65. LAXE WALKING UP STAGE

66. (SOUNDBITE) (French) DIRECTOR OF “SIRAT” OLIVER LAXE SAYING:

“I think that’s what the Cannes Festival does - to gather us, different cultural spheres in this wonderful mirror effect that is cinema, and to learn to see the world as if it’s the first time, with new eyes. Voila, long live differences, long live culture, and love live the Cannes festival.”

67. AUDIENCE APPLAUDING

68. VARIOUS OF LAXE POSING WITH RANDOLPH

69. JURY MEMBER- WRITER LEILA SLIMANI - ANNOUNCING BEST SCREENPLAY PRIZE FOR LUC AND JEAN-PIERRE DARDENNE FOR “YOUNG MOTHERS”

70. AUDIENCE

71. VARIOUS OF DARDENNE BROTHERS WALKING TO STAGE

72.(SOUNDBITE) (French) DIRECTOR OF YOUNG MOTHERS, LUC DARDENNE, SAYING:

“The screenplay is a point of departure. But without these five young women, five young girls who are here - there wouldn’t be a film. And thank you to the five of you.”

73. VARIOUS OF ACTRESSES - (FRONT) ELSA HOUBEN (L-R IN BACK) SAMIA HILMI, JANAINA HALLOY FOKAN, LUCIE LARUELLE, BABETTE VERBEEK - APPLAUDING

74. DARDENNE BROTHERS HOLDING UP PRIZE WITH ACTOR JOHN C. REILLY

75. JURY MEMBER - DIRECTOR DIEUDO HAMADI - ANNOUNCING THE SPECIAL PRIZE WINNER - FOR BI GAN FOR “RESURRECTION”

76. VARIOUS OF BI STANDING, NEXT TO HIS TEAM

77. AUDIENCE

78 (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) DIRECTOR OF “RESURRECTION” BI GAN SAYING:

“I like to thank my creative team, my adorable actors. My whole team and I want to thank the Cannes Festival and its jury. And thank you to all those who gave their time, in discreet ways, each time the film encountered great difficulties. I want to dedicate this film to my children.”

79. VARIOUS OF BI POSING WITH BINOCHE

80. AUDIENCE

81. DIRECTOR ALICE ROHRWACHER ANNOUNCING CAMERA D’OR (PRIZE FOR FIRST TIME DIRECTORS), FOR HASAN HADI FOR “THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE”

82. HADI BEING HUGGED BY MEMBER OF FILM TEAM

83. VARIOUS OF HADI WALKING TO STAGE

84. VARIOUS OF HADI ACCEPTING CAMERA D’OR PRIZE

85. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF “THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE” HASAN HADI SAYING:

“This award doesn’t only recognise doesn’t only recognize this film but also, it recognizes that it’s a story from my nation, from Iraq, a story that was born in the Mesopotamian marshes and travelled all the way to here. Today, thanks to you, we are making history, by receiving this, the first award to be ever given to an Iraqi film at Cannes film festival.”

86. CANNES FESTIVAL DIRECTOR THIERRY FREMAUX APPLAUDING