Waterford Film For All presents It Was Just an Accident (2025)

Waterford Film For All presents It Was Just an Accident

When a man and his family hit a dog with their car, they have no idea about the unexpected chain of events this accident will set in motion. Stopping at a garage to have their car repaired, they meet mechanic Vahid. Recognising the man, Vahid is shaken-believing him to be his torturer from his time in an Iranian prison.

The following day, Vahid kidnaps the man, intending to exact his vengeance. But as doubts start to creep in, he turns to a loose circle of other victims for confirmation. As they deal with their past and diverging worldviews, the group struggles to decide: is this definitely their torturer? What would retribution actually mean, and can they carry it out?

Festivals
Cannes Film Festival 2025
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2025
Locarno Film Festival 2025
Toronto International Film Festival 2025
BFI London International Film Festival 2025

Awards
Winner – Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival 2025

Reviews
“★★★★ It’s another very impressive serio-comic film from one of the most distinctive and courageous figures in world cinema.” – Peter Bradshaw

“Panahi melds the personal and political in the most subtle and searing of ways.” – Christina Newland, Sight & Sound

“There’s a seam of pitch black gallows humour running through the picture, and moments of absurdist hilarity. But mostly, it’s an impassioned and forthright condemnation of the regime and of the men who do its bidding.” – Wendy Ide, Screen International

France’s submission for Best International Feature Film to the Oscars 2026