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6d ago

“It Was Just an Accident” Opens in U.S. After Covert Shoot in Iran

New reporting details a 28‑day clandestine production, offline editing without internet, then a smuggled rough cut that enabled the film’s global rollout.

Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr as Hamid, from left, Majid Panahi as Ali, Hadis Pakbaten as Goli, in a scene from “It Was Just an Accident.”
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Afssaneh Najmabadi, from left, Delmaz Najafi, and Ebrahim Azizi in a scene from “It Was Just an Accident.”
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Overview

  • Jafar Panahi’s thriller is now playing in select U.S. theaters in a rollout handled by NEON with Medan, following its Cannes Palme d’Or win.
  • France selected the film as its official submission for the Academy Award for best international feature, reflecting its co-production ties abroad.
  • The story follows former political prisoners who seize a man they believe tortured them, using the premise to probe revenge, uncertainty and mercy without offering easy answers.
  • Editor Amir Etminan describes secret operations: daily script fragments, a safe-house setup on a MacBook Air with no internet, proxy workflows, and drives hidden across Tehran.
  • After a 28‑day shoot without permits, the team copied a rough cut to a tiny device and sent it with a non-film courier to France, as Panahi resumed traveling to festivals following a lifted ban.