EXCLUSIVE: Development, production and finance outfit Medan is joining with Neon to co-finance the U.S. theatrical release of Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident. The film begins release in New York tomorrow, October 15, then heads to Los Angeles on October 17 with a national rollout to follow.
The thriller is also France’s official submission for the Best International Feature Oscar race.
Written and directed by Panahi and produced by Panahi and Philippe Martin, It Was Just an Accident tells the story of a group of former political prisoners who encounter and confront their past and, potentially, their sadistic jailhouse captor.
Said Negin Salmasi, Chief Content Officer at Medan which develops, produces and finances premium scripted film and television from established and emerging talent , “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Neon. Jafar Panahi stands as one of cinema’s defining voices — a master whose career has redefined artistic courage and whose vision remains as globally urgent and necessary as ever.”
It Was Just an Accident is Panahi’s first film since being released from prison in Iran. In addition to the Palme d’Or, the movie won the Sydney Award for Best Film at the Sydney International Film Festival. Panahi also received the Silver Medallion Tribute for Director at the Telluride Film Festival, a Special Tribute Award at TIFF, the Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award at the Busan International Film Festival and the filmmaker tribute at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
Last week, It Was Just an Accident screened at Beyond Fest and the New York Film Festival. It also screened at the London Film Festival. Panahi will next receive the Icon Award at the Middleburg Film Festival and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Rome Film Festival.