Oscar-nominated director calls Iran a 'failed state' after his co-writer's arrest

"Iran's acclaimed dissident director Jafar Panahi first met his Oscar-nominated screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian in prison in 2022. Their humanist ideals made them fast friends during the seven months they spent behind bars. So when Mahmoudian didn't respond to Panahi's texts on one recent night, the filmmaker knew something was wrong. "Together with some other friends, we were suspicious that he might have been arrested. And lo and behold, that afternoon we saw on the news that he, together with [Vida Rabbani and Abdullah] Momeni, was arrested," Panahi told Morning Edition host Leila Fadel, speaking through an interpreter."

"Mahmoudian landed in prison Panahi estimated this was about his eighth time in jail for adding his name to a statement condemning Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, for a brutal crackdown on protesters that has killed thousands. The note, which Panahi also signed along with human rights lawyers and activists, says that "the primary responsibility for these atrocities lies with Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and the repressive structure of the regime.""

"It Was Just an Accident follows a group of former prisoners who think they've found the man who tortured them during their incarceration and struggle over what to do with him. Shiva, a character played by Mariam Afshari, suggests that "it's not because they resorted to violence that we should too." The film was shot in secret in and around Tehran in remote desert locations, inside vehicles and on city streets despite government restrictions."

Jafar Panahi met screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian in prison in 2022 and they became close during seven months of incarceration. Mahmoudian was arrested on Feb. 3 after signing a statement that blamed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the regime for a brutal crackdown on protesters. Panahi estimated this arrest to be Mahmoudian's eighth. Panahi's film It Was Just an Accident, co-written by Mahmoudian, was nominated for Academy Awards and previously won the Palme d'Or. The film portrays former prisoners confronting a suspected torturer and was filmed covertly across Tehran and remote locations despite restrictions.

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