Khamenei regime will not be able to keep control of Iran, says dissenting film-maker

"The Khamenei regime will not be able to maintain control over Iranian society after the violent suppression of the latest wave of protests, one of the country's leading film-makers has predicted. It is impossible for this government to sustain itself in this situation, the director Jafar Panahi told the Guardian. They know it too. They know that it will be impossible to rule over people. Perhaps their only goal right now is to bring the country to the verge of complete collapse"

"Protests caused by an ailing economy have swept through Iran since late December and were met with deadly crackdowns by the security forces over the weekend, with reports of more than 2,500 people killed. A internet blackout imposed last Friday, which blocked 95-99% of the country's communication network, was a sign that there would be a very big massacre on the way, Panahi said. But we never predicted that the crackdown would have such dimensions and numbers."

"The film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival last year and is a leading contender for the 2026 Oscars in the international feature category. Part revenge thriller, part black comedy, the French entry for the Academy award follows a group of Iranian former political prisoners who try to decide on whether to exact revenge on a man they believe to have tortured them in prison."

The Khamenei regime appears unable to sustain control after violent suppression of recent protests, risking societal collapse. Protests driven by an ailing economy have swept Iran since late December and were met with deadly crackdowns, with reports of more than 2,500 people killed. An internet blackout blocked 95–99% of communications, signaling an anticipated large-scale massacre. The film It Was Just an Accident won the Palme d'Or and is a leading contender for the 2026 Oscars; it portrays former political prisoners wrestling with revenge and shows that cycles of state violence are difficult to stop. The film's director received a one-year prison sentence in absentia in December on propaganda charges.

Read at www.theguardian.com