Overview
- Rehearsals for a Revolution won the Cannes L’Oeil d’or documentary prize on Friday, May 22, 2026, receiving the festival’s top honor for non‑fiction film.
- The L’Oeil d’or jury, led by Mstyslav Chernov, praised the film’s urgent storytelling and script and highlighted its intimate portrayal of contemporary Iran.
- Sony Pictures Classics bought rights for North and Latin America, most of Asia (except Japan), New Zealand, Turkey, Portugal and worldwide airlines, giving the film formal commercial distribution plans.
- The debut feature from director Pegah Ahangarani weaves personal archives and family portraits to trace more than 40 years of repression and resistance in Iran, and the director dedicated the award to the people of Iran.
- Winning the L’Oeil d’or and securing an SPC deal should raise the film’s international profile and festival run while also prompting scrutiny over censorship and safety for works that document political repression in Iran.