Filmmaker Jafar Panahi has been honoured with the title of the Asian filmmaker of the Year at the Busan International Film Festival. The director who is known for works like The White Balloon, Offisde, The Circle, 3 Faces and more has been recognised for his contribution towards the upliftment of Asian film industry and through it the Asian culture on the whole.
Filmmaker Jafar Panahi has a very intriguing journey. While he is honoured in the International film community, in his homeland, Iran, his works have been a subject to several censorship. In fact, he had to go through the experience of being imprisoned and on protest went on a hunger strike. However, regardless of the objections he has been credited for films like This is not a film which is shot in his own living room while he was serving house arrest. His movie Taxi is entirely set in a car. With spatial and storytelling limitations, Panahi’s works set a bar very higher to work with limited resources and yet deliver remarkable narratives.
The Busan International Film Festival officially states, “As a towering figure in Iranian cinema, the director has explored the existence and freedom of individuals living amid censorship and political repression. Capturing the political and social contradictions of Iranian society from a countercultural perspective, he has continued to create films in secret, courageously submitting them to international film festivals despite repeated arrests, custody, detention, travel bans, and a stated-imposed filmmaking ban.”
Earlier this year in May 2025, his film It Was Just An Accident was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and also won accolades, standing ovations and honours. In his official statement to the Festival, Panahi mentions, “At a time when making films in my country becomes more difficult every day, this recognition reminds me that cinema can still connect us beyond borders, languages, and limitations. I not only accept this award in my own name, but also on behalf of all those who, in silence, in exile, or under pressure, continue to create.”