Jafar Panahi leaves Iran as travel ban is lifted
After being barred from leaving the country, Iranian director Jafar Panahi has announced that his travel ban has been lifted and he will be moving elsewhere. The director had originally been in jail a month ago for his hunger strike protesting the inhumane behaviour of Iran’s judicial system.
In an Instagram post from his wife Tahereh Saeedi, Panahi could be seen walking with baggage at an airport, with the caption reading, “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was cancelled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…” Panahi had previously been arrested after checking on the well-being of fellow filmmaker Mohammed Rasoulov, who was incarcerated after signing an appeal against police violence.
Panahi has been known for his harsh criticisms of the Iran’s practises in films such as The Circle and This Is Not a Film, the latter of which was filmed on his phone while he was on house arrest after promising to make a film that was deemed dissident by the state. Some of Panahi’s other notable film projects include Taxi, which he recorded illegally while pretending to be a taxi driver and documenting a worker’s day-to-day life.
Panahi’s approach to filmmaking has earned him many accolades, with his latest film No Bears winning Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. As of yet, there has been no word on Panahi’s whereabouts after the Instagram photo.
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