Activists From Inside and Outside Prison Stand in Solidarity With Jafar Panahi as He Returns to Iran
150 Iranian Activists Congratulate Jafar Panahi on Winning the 2025 Palme d’Or
25th May 2025
As acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi prepares to return to Iran following his historic win at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, over 150 political, civil, cultural, and artistic activists—both inside and outside of prison, and across the Iranian diaspora—have issued a collective letter of solidarity. The signatories celebrate Panahi’s Palme d’Or win and the Cannes Citizenship Prize, framing these honors as victories not only for Iranian cinema but for the broader struggle for civil liberties, freedom of expression, and resistance against repression.
The letter emphasizes Panahi’s unwavering dedication to truth and justice in the face of censorship and imprisonment. As he boards the plane to face an uncertain future under a regime known for silencing dissenting voices, this message of support asserts that he does not stand alone.
At the Narges Foundation, we remember how, just a few weeks ago, Jafar Panahi stood in front of Evin Prison in Tehran alongside Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, holding a placard that read “No to Execution” in solidarity with the families of prisoners sentenced to death. We remember him not only for this powerful moment, but for the many times he has taken a stand with civil society.
The full text of the statement is as follows:
“We, a group of political, civil, cultural, and artistic activists, warmly congratulate Jafar Panahi on winning the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. This historic honor, which makes him the second Iranian director to receive the award after the late Abbas Kiarostami, is a major achievement for Iranian cinema and civil society.
Despite years of imprisonment and repression, Panahi has continued to create powerful, meaningful films. His recognition—alongside the Cannes Citizenship Prize—celebrates not only his artistic brilliance but also his unwavering commitment to truth, justice, and human dignity.
This moment is a proud one for all who believe in freedom and the transformative power of art. We salute Panahi and wish him continued strength on his inspiring journey.”
Signatories of this statement include: Mostafa Al-Ahmad, Abutaleb Adinehvand, Hamid Asafi, Siamak Ebrahimi, Peyman Ahmadi, Noushin Ahmadi-Khorasani, Hassan Asadi-Zaidabadi, Ali Afshari, Shahram Eghbalzadeh, Hassan Etemadi, Mina Akbari, Hamidreza Amiri, Mojgan Ilanlou, Houshyar Ansari-Far, Mohammad Olyaifard, Mohsen Amiryoussefi, Masoud Bastani, Esmail Bakhshi, Rasoul Bodaghi, Mohammad Baqer Bakhtiar, Hanieh Bakhtiar, Majid Barzegar, Alireza Beheshti Shirazi, Mahmoud Beheshti Langroudi, Tirdad Bonakdar, Mahnaz Parakand, Mohammad Pirhadi, Habibollah Peyman, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Mostafa Tanha, Nayereh Tohidi, Majid Tollaei, Rouzbeh Jamehshourani, Mahmoud Jafari, Abolfazl Hajizadegan, Mohammad Habibi, Hadi Khansari, Behnam Daryazadeh, Amir-Salar Davoudi, Reza Dormishian, Khosro Dalirsani, Saeed Dehghan, Masoumeh Dehghan, Azadeh Dowachi, Vida Rabbani, Alireza Rajaei, Taghi Rahmani, Zahra Rahimi, Keyvan Rahimian, Hossein Razzagh, Mohammad Rasoulof, Sepideh Rashno, Hossein Rafiee, Saeed Razavi Faghih, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Behrouz Sotoudeh, Khashayar Sefidi, Faraj Sarkouhi, Meysam Saadat, Maryam Satvat, Abdolfattah Soltani, Belghis Soleimani, Mohammad Seifzadeh, Behrouz Shahrokhnia, Sadegh Shojaei, Ehsan Shariati, Armin Sharifi, Saba Sherdoust, Mona Shokarriz, Behzad Shishegaran, Toomaj Salehi, Abbas Sadeghi, Firoozeh Saber, Kourosh Sehhati, Haydeh Safiyari, Keyvan Samimi, Manzareh Zarrabi, Mehdi Fatapour, Masoud Fathi, Soheila Farzad, Yaghma Fashkhami, Mohammad Taghi Fallahi, Ejlal Ghavami, Aziz Ghasemzadeh, Hatam Ghaderi, Abolfazl Ghadyani, Mohsen Gheshghaeizadeh, Abdolnabi Gheym, Shirin Ebadi, Davoud Abbasi, Esmail Abdi, Mehdi Arabshahi, Farzaneh Azimi, Reza Allamehzadeh, Reza Alijani, Mahmoud Omrani, Mehrangiz Kar, Kazem Kardavani, Maryam Kian-Arsi, Sajedeh Kianoush Rad, Mohammad Kianoush Rad, Mahdieh Golrou, Motahareh Gonei, Fatemeh Govaraei, Souran (Eskandar) Lotfi, Mona Moafi, Narges Mohammadi, Mehdi Mahmoudian, Saeed Madani, Ali Mosaffa, Alieh Motlebzadeh, Abdollah Momeni, Hafez Mousavi, Keyvan Mehtadi, Mostafa Mehrain, Khazar Mehranfar, Hamid Moshayekhi, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, Mohammadreza Moeini, Hoda Moeini, Meysam Moeini, Farhad Mehranfar, Mehdi Motaharnia, Esfandiar Monfaredzadeh, Farhad Meysami, Sharmin Meymandinejad, Javad Mousavi Khuzestani, Salman Mousavi, Mehdi Mozaffari, Mahshid Nazemi, Abdollah Naseri, Mohammad Najafi, Saeed Naeimi, Hossein Naghashi, Ali Nourani, Mana Neyestani, Mostafa Nili, Mohammadreza Nikfar, Sedigheh Vasmaghi, Zaman Vafajouyi, Mojtaba Hashemi, Mehdi Yarrahi, Hossein Yazdi, and Hassan Yousefi Eshkevari.
25th May 2025
