AceShowbiz - Jafar Panahi, the Oscar-nominated Iranian director known for It Was Just an Accident, made a rare public appearance at the Berlin Film Festival to condemn the brutal violence occurring in Iran. Speaking during a discussion with The Hollywood Reporter's European Bureau Chief Scott Roxborough, Panahi described the ongoing crackdown by the Islamic Republic as an "unbelievable crime" that has led to tens of thousands of deaths and a culture of fear that even prevents people from mourning their loved ones.

During the event on Thursday, the festival offered to retroactively present Panahi with the Berlinale Golden Bear award he earned in 2015 for Taxi. At that time, he was barred from attending due to a travel ban. However, Panahi declined the honor, emphasizing that he wanted the world’s attention to remain on the violent repression of protestors in his homeland instead of on his accolades.

“They wanted to give me the Golden Bear I had won for Taxi, and I refused it, because of the situation in Iran,” Panahi said. “An unbelievable crime has happened. Mass murder has happened. People are not even allowed to mourn their loved ones... The regime is forcing them into these acts. People do not want violence. They avoid violence. It is the regime that forces violence upon them.”

Despite being frequently labeled a political filmmaker due to his work and personal history, Panahi has resisted that categorization. Yet he acknowledged that the current crisis has made silence impossible for artists in Iran. “Artists do not want to be politically active by themselves. It is the regimes and governments that force them into political engagement,” he explained. “Artists try to avoid being politically active, but socially engaged artists cannot stay silent about what happens in society. That is why so many artists, actors and actresses, and superstars have stood with the people of Iran and now face consequences. We have many artists in prison - documentary filmmakers as well. During previous protests and demonstrations, filmmakers were arrested. When an artist is silent, they are complicit in violence.”

Panahi’s latest film, It Was Just an Accident, was inspired by his own experiences during seven months spent in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison. The film tells the story of former political prisoners who kidnap a man they believe to be their torturer and wrestle with the decision of whether to exact revenge or forgive him.

“I did not know I wanted to make a film about this,” Panahi said. “But when I left prison, when the doors opened and I walked out and looked back at the huge walls behind me, I thought about those still inside. It became a weight on my shoulders. After weeks and months, it grew heavier, and I decided to make a film about them.”

To ensure authenticity, Panahi collaborated with several fellow former inmates, including political activist Mehdi Mahmoudian, who co-wrote the screenplay. Mahmoudian is a longtime prisoner who was recently re-arrested for publicly condemning Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and is currently out on bail.

“Mehdi Mahmoudian has spent nearly a quarter of his life in prison. He had more contact with people inside than anyone else. He knew the torturers very well - how they think, what their ideology is. That was a great help to me,” Panahi shared.

In December, while promoting It Was Just an Accident internationally, Panahi was sentenced in absentia to one year in prison and another travel ban for alleged “propaganda activities” against the government. Despite this, he declared his intention to return to Iran after the Oscars ceremony, where the film is nominated for Best International Feature and Best Original Screenplay.

“Half of my existence is in Iran - my family, my mother, my sister, my brother, my son, my friends, and the society I work for. If I did not return, I would betray what I believe. As a socially engaged filmmaker, my duty is to stand with the people I belong to. A doctor can save lives anywhere. But my cinema exists there. I must go back and make films there. That is the right thing to do. I will return, 100 percent, because of who I am and because of my beliefs,” Panahi stated emphatically.

Panahi’s comments came as part of a broader effort by the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association (IIFMA) to highlight the plight of artists who have been killed or detained amid the government's harsh crackdown. Founded in 2023 following the Woman Life Freedom movement, the association returned to the Berlinale Festival with a stand, a panel discussion, and a flashmob demonstration at Potsdamer Platz.

At the Berlin panel, IIFMA board member Mahshid Zamani presented footage compiled from social media and direct sources inside Iran documenting the violent crackdown of January 8 and 9. “Each frame captures the courage, hope and longing that define the Iranian spirit while also shedding light on the brutal realities imposed by a repressive, fanatic, Islamic, terrorist regime,” Zamani said. “Tens of artists were murdered while bravely standing up for their beliefs in the uprising of January 8 and 9.”

Following the screening, Zamani read the names of numerous musicians, filmmakers, actors, and other cultural workers who have been confirmed killed or detained, prompting the audience to applaud each one in tribute. Later, members of the IIFMA staged a flashmob in Berlin’s festival district, symbolically recreating rows of body bags to honor those lost.

The association listed the following arts and culture professionals as confirmed killed in the crackdown:

Ahmad Abbasi (filmmaker), Shokoufeh Abdi (photographer), Melika Dastyab (musician), Pouya Faragardi (musician), Shabnam Ferdowsi (puppeteer, graphic designer), Javad Ganji (filmmaker), Sorena Golgoun (musician), Yaser Modir-Rousta (musician), Sanam Pourbabaei (musician), Sahba Rashtian (painter and animation director), Foad Safayi (musician), Mehdi Salahshour (sculptor), Zohre Shamaeizade (script supervisor and voice actor), Mohammed "Shahou" Shirazi (singer), Mostafa Rabeti (filmmaker), Reyhaneh Yousefi (actor), and Amir-Ali Zarei (musician, art student).

Additionally, the following artists have been detained:

Dawood Abbasi (filmmaker and cinematographer), Ghazale Vakili (actor), Navid Zarehbin (filmmaker), and Kimia Mousavi (artist).

The coordinated actions by Panahi and the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association underscore the critical role artists continue to play in resisting oppression despite grave risks. Their voices and works cast a spotlight on the human cost of the regime’s violent campaign to silence dissent and control society.