Iran Wants Him Arrested. He's Going Back Anyway.

Radio Atlantic

The Atlantic

Politics, Society & Culture, News

4.3 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2026

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The writer-director Jafar Panahi’s new film, It Was Just an Accident, is the second Iranian film ever nominated for multiple Oscars. Panahi is in the United States for the awards season, but soon after, he plans to return to Iran, where he may well be arrested. His co-writer on the film was recently jailed after signing a letter objecting to the deadly crackdown on protests in Iran. Panahi, who also signed the letter, has been sentenced to one year in prison in absentia. His lawyer has said they plan to appeal the sentence. But Panahi doesn’t seem afraid. (He made It Was Just an Accident in secret, as he has in the past with other films.) Even with the crackdown in Iran and violence against protesters here in the U.S., he says he still has reason to hope: “I see a greater future. I see from above.” --- Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Where do you find a clear signal in a world of static?
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0:14.1	It's more than news.
0:15.4	It's a trusted global perspective.
0:17.2	The Economist know which way is up.
0:28.8	Iranian director Jafar Panahi's latest movie,
0:33.4	It Was Just an Accident, Shot in Secret in Tehran, is nominated for two Oscars.
0:40.4	In it, a group of misfits roam around in a white fan trying to figure out what to do with the person they just kidnapped.
0:46.6	One of the women is wearing a wedding dress the whole time.
0:50.1	One of the men is a hothead, perpetually at 11.
0:53.0	They bicker about what to do with their victim who is sedated and locked in a box.
0:55.5	It's the setup for a caper, and lots of ridiculous things do happen.
1:08.5	But at its core, the movie is driving towards the country's real open wound.
1:13.6	The man locked in the box is someone they all suspect to have been their torturer in prison,
1:19.6	a sadistic agent of the regime named Ekbal, who ruined each of their lives in distinct ways.
1:25.6	The dig at the Iranian regime is not subtle.
1:35.5	I'm Hannah Rosen.
1:36.6	This is Radio Atlantic.
1:38.3	Today, we're talking to Panahi.
1:40.6	He's in the U.S. in the lead up to the Oscars.
	...

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