Cannes 2025: ‘It Was Just an Accident’ wins Palme d’Or and full winners list revealed
As the Cannes Film Festival concluded on May 24th, Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident was awarded the coveted ‘Palme d’Or’.
The movie is directly inspired by Panahi’s time in prison, but with a dark comedic twist. It follows five characters who were all tortured during their arrest as they track down the person they believe was responsible for causing them harm. However, due to being blindfolded during the torture, none can be 100 per cent sure they have successfully identified the correct individual.
Panahi, who was released from prison in 2023, recently explained to The Guardian how his time inside shaped It Was Just An Accident, sharing, “My second time in prison was different. This time, I was in a large space with other political prisoners. Some of them had been there for 10 or 15 years. Their experience—their stories, their take on what captivity meant to them—was inspiring.”
He continued: “It was like the world opened up to me. Gradually, I had an idea for a film that gathered these pieces together.”
Cate Blanchett, Juliette Binoche, Halle Berry, Dieudo Hamadi, Hong Sang-soo, Payal Kapadia, Carlos Reygadas, Alba Rohrwacher, Leïla Slimani, and Jeremy Strong presented the closing ceremony at Cannes.
Binoche also served as Jury President at this year’s edition of Cannes. The ‘Jury Prize’ was a tie between Óliver Laxe’s Sirát and Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling.
Other notable winners include Nadlia Melliti, who won ‘Best Actress’ for her performance in The Little Sister, and Wagner Moura, who secured the respective ‘Best Actor’ award for his role in The Secret Agent. Director Klebor Mendonça Filho also won ‘Best Director’ for The Secret Agent.
The full list of winners are available to view below.
Cannes 2025: The full list of winners
Palme d’Or: It Was Just an Accident
Grand Prix: Sentimental Value
Jury Prize: TIE – Sirât & Sound of Falling
Best Actress – Nadia Melliti – The Little Sister
Best Actor: Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent
Best Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho – The Secret Agent
Best Screenplay: Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne – The Young Mother’s Home
Camera d’Or: Hasan Hadi – The President’s Cake
Special Award: Bi Gan – Resurrection
Short Film Palme d’Or: I’m Glad You’re Dead Now – Tawfeek Barhom
Short Film Special Mention: Al – Adnan Al Rajeev
Golden Eye Documentary Prize: Imago – Déni Oumar Pitsaev
Golden Eye Documentary 10th Anniversary Prize: The Six Billion Dollar Man
Queer Palm: Hafsia Herzi – La Petite Dernière
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.