Watching " It Was Just an Accident" feels like watching director Jafar Panahi 's tortured yet graceful inner monologue around the merits of forgiveness. The Iranian filmmaker's Palme d'Or-winning film, like his other works, was filmed without official permission from the Iranian government-a tactic that enables him to critique the authoritarian regime creatively and without censorship. It hasn't been without consequences; Panahi was first arrested in 2010, then released, and subsequently placed under house arrest.
Before his arrest Khalid had emerged as one of the faces of an anti-government protest movement after the Modi government passed a citizenship law in late 2019 that was seen as discriminatory to Muslims. The protests that erupted were the first widespread challenge to the Modi regime and were met with brute force by the state. Dozens were killed by police fire and activists were detained and tortured.
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