From Oscars to Prison, an Iranian Director Vows to Return Home

Filmmaker Jafar Panahi intends to serve a prison sentence after the international press tour for It Was Just an Accident.

Photo Illustration by Jordan Bohannon for Bloomberg. Photos: Majid Saeedi, Courtesy Neon 

Jafar Panahi wants to go home.

The legendary Iranian director is nearing the end of a tiring awards season. His latest movie, It Was Just an Accident, is nominated for the Academy Award for best international feature film. But Panahi’s mind is elsewhere: on his family, friends and collaborators in Iran.