France, Oct. 1 -- After winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May, It Was Just an Accident, directed by the Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, was released in cinemas worldwide on Wednesday. Produced in secret and co-financed by France, the film was inspired by his time in prison. It has been selected as France's official submission for Best International Feature at the 2026 Oscars.

Watching his latest film, It Was Just an Accident, screened for the first time at Cannes before an international audience, Jafar Panahi was overcome with tears of joy.

For 15 years, he had been unable to experience a film of his with the public, owing to a travel ban imposed by the Iranian authorities.

"I could really see how the public and the...