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Mohammad Rasoulof Cites Jafar Panahi’s New Prison Sentence as He and O Mipo Receive Tokyo’s Kurosawa Akira Award: ‘Iranian Cinema Continues to Face Repression’
Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof said Jafar Panahi’s new prison sentence showed that Iranian cinema still faces repression. Speaking as he received Tokyo’s Kurosawa Akira Award, Rasoulof described a shift towards telling stories directly, rather than relying on metaphor to avoid pressure from the authorities.
Panahi, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes last year, was sentenced to five more years in prison and had his property confiscated, Rasoulof said. Rasoulof himself was arrested in 2010 while making a film and sentenced to five years; he said the experience changed how he approached his work. Japanese director O Mipo shared the award, recognised for films about people on society’s margins, and spoke about returning to directing after a nine-year break while raising her two sons.
In short
- Rasoulof linked Panahi’s sentence to ongoing pressure on Iranian filmmakers.
- He said his own imprisonment led him to tell stories more directly.
- O Mipo shared Tokyo’s Kurosawa Akira Award after returning to directing.
Explained simply
Iranian filmmakers work under restrictions imposed by the authorities, including limits on what they can show or say. Some have faced arrest or prison sentences, and filmmakers have used metaphor to tell stories while avoiding direct confrontation with those restrictions.
Mohammad Rasoulof and Jafar Panahi are prominent Iranian directors whose work has faced state pressure. Rasoulof has said his own arrest and sentence changed how he made films, while Panahi has also faced legal penalties; the Cannes Film Festival awarded Panahi its top prize, the Palme d’Or, in 2025.
The Kurosawa Akira Award is presented in Tokyo to filmmakers recognised for their work. Rasoulof shared it with Japanese director O Mipo, whose films focus on people living at society’s margins.
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