Busan Film Festival to Honor Jafar Panahi as Asian Filmmaker of the Year

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The Busan International Film Festival has selected Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi as its 2025 Asian Filmmaker of the Year, honoring the director’s uncompromising contributions to Asian and world cinema.

Panahi will receive the award during the opening ceremony of BIFF’s 30th edition, which runs Sept. 17–26 in the South Korean port city. The accolade, one of the festival’s highest honors, is presented annually to an individual or organization that has made a significant impact on the development of Asian cinema. Past recipients include an elite roster of artists and autuers, such as Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung, Ann Hui, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and the late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, among others.

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A central figure in Iran’s New Wave cinema, Panahi came to prominence with his debut The White Balloon (1995), winner of Cannes’ Camera d’Or. He has since built a career defined by formal rigor and fearless political critique, continuing to create films despite a state-imposed ban and multiple arrests. Earlier this year, Panahi completed the rare European festival trifecta, taking home the Palme d’Or at Cannes for It Was Just an Accident (2025). The Hollywood Reporter’s critic on the ground at the festival hailed the film as “a shrewdly crafted vengeance film” that “slowly but surely builds into a stark condemnation of abusive power and its long-lasting effects.”Panahi previously won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Taxi (2015) and the Golden Lion at Venice for The Circle (2000), making him the first Asian director to claim the top prize at all three major European festivals.

Accepting the Palme d’Or at the Cannes ceremony, Panahi said: ““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.”

Neon acquired North American theatrical rights to It Was Just an Accident at Cannes and plans to release the film on Oct. 15.

The 30th Busan International Film Festival will be headquartered once again at the Busan Cinema Center, with screenings and special events taking place throughout the city. BIFF’s Asian Project Market (APM), a vital incubator for emerging filmmakers across the region, runs concurrently with the festival. The event will unveil its competition selection in late August.

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