When Sydney Film Festival looks backwards in 2025, as it does every year with a featured retrospective, it'll be following in its own footsteps several times over. The work of Iranian director Jafar Panahi has graced its screens again and again over the fest's history. More than a decade ago, in 2011, a retrospective just like this also highlighted some of his movies alongside those of his compatriot Mohammad Rasoulof, in fact. Long may this trend continue; a filmmaker this bold and daring should always be in the spotlight. Panahi's body work speaks for itself — and also speaks to his ongoing fight to chronicle contemporary Iran and the reality of life for its people, a battle that he's kept waging despite repercussions regularly coming his way. By his nation's ruling regime, the writer/director has been banned from filmmaking, and also from travel. He's been arrested and imprisoned as well. Indeed, it isn't just his movies that send a message of resistance; his quest to make them, to retain the right to do so, and the pursuit of freedom that goes with that ceaseless campaign, is also a statement. SFF's 2025 Jafar Panahi: Cinema in Rebellion program is celebrating its namesake with a program of all ten of his features, all screening across the festival's dates of Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15. From 1995's The White Balloon to 2022's No Bears, audiences can witness Panahi's progression as a filmmaker — and how his exploration of existence in Iran, especially for women and others suffering oppression and censorship (including himself), has evolved and solidified over almost three decades. With every one of his titles, SFF attendees will also watching be award-winning pictures. The White Balloon gave Panahi his first Cannes accolade, for best first film. Then 1997's The Mirror took home the Locarno International Film Festival's Golden Leopard, 2000's The Circle nabbed Venice's Golden Lion, 2003's Crimson Gold earned an Un Certain Regard prize back at Cannes and 2006's Offside collected a Silver Bear in Berlin. More Cannes love came for 2011's This Is Not a Film (the Carrosse d'Or at the Director's Fortnight) and 2018's Three Faces (for best screenplay), plus more Berlin recognition for 2013's Closed Curtain (another Silver Bear) and 2015's Tehran Taxi (the Golden Bear), and more again from Venice for No Bears (a Special Jury Prize).
