Oscar-nominated co-writer of Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or film freed on bail after signing dissident letter

Oscar-Nominated Iranian Screenwriter Released From Prison

Mehdi Mahmoudian, the Iranian political journalist, human-rights activist, and co-writer of Jafar Panahi’s Oscar-nominated film “It Was Just an Accident,” was released from Nowshahr Prison in northern Iran on February 17, 2026, according to reports confirmed by Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter. He had been held for 17 days. Mahmoudian was arrested after signing a document known as “The Statement of the Seventeen,” a letter issued in January 2026 that called for the formation of a national front to organize a referendum enabling all Iranians to participate in determining their political future. The letter condemned Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei directly for the killings of thousands of demonstrators in ongoing protests across Iran.

The Statement That Put a Screenwriter Behind Bars

Mahmoudian was released alongside journalist and activist Vida Rabbani and student leader Abdollah Momeni. Each was required to post approximately 6.5 billion tomans — around $10,000 — as bail to the Revolutionary Court. The charges reportedly filed against the three included “insulting the Supreme Leader” and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” Panahi, who also signed the statement and whose name appears on the same document as Mohammad Rasoulof — director of “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” another Cannes prize-winner — issued a statement through the film’s U.S. distributor Neon following Mahmoudian’s release. “Mehdi Mahmoudian, Vida Rabbani, and Abdollah Momeni peacefully exercised their right to express their views, but the regime responded by accusing them of ‘insulting the Supreme Leader’ and ‘propaganda against the Islamic Republic,'” Panahi wrote. “For years, such charges have been used as tools to criminalize thought, silence criticism, and instill fear in society. Turning a civil and peaceful act into a national security case is a clear sign of intolerance toward the independent voices of citizens.”

A Filmmaker and Journalist With a History of Imprisonment

This was not Mahmoudian’s first time in Iranian custody. He served a five-year prison term from 2009 to 2014 after being charged with “mutiny against the regime” for publicizing abuse of detainees at the Kahrizak Detention Center. His collaboration with Panahi on “It Was Just an Accident” grew from shared firsthand knowledge of what Iran’s prison system looks like from the inside. The film, co-written with Nader Saievar and Shadmehr Rastin, tells the story of a man recently released from prison who believes he has glimpsed his former interrogator and draws in fellow ex-prisoners to verify the identification. The film won the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and carries nominations for both Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay at the 2026 Academy Awards. The film was submitted by France as a co-production, not by Iran, which does not support the film or its makers.

Wider Crackdown on Iranian Filmmakers

The imprisonment of Mahmoudian is one episode in a sustained campaign by the Islamic Republic against artists who have publicly opposed the government. Director Javad Ganji, 39, an assistant director, was shot and killed by Iranian forces in Tehran on January 9, 2026. Following his death, government agents reportedly placed a banner associated with the Basij paramilitary organization on his home in an apparent effort to brand him posthumously as a regime supporter. Documentary filmmaker Davood Abbasi, arrested in January and beaten, has been detained at Ghazalhesar Prison, according to posts from Panahi’s social media. Panahi himself served seven months in Iranian custody in 2022 after visiting authorities to inquire about the arrest of colleagues Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad. He was released in 2023 following a hunger strike and is currently in the United States promoting “It Was Just an Accident.” He was sentenced in absentia to one year in prison and a two-year travel ban in December 2025 but has stated publicly he intends to return to Iran after the Oscars. Mohammad Rasoulof, director of “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” was sentenced in 2024 to eight years in prison, whipping, and a substantial fine. He fled Iran and attended Cannes, where his film won five awards. His lead actress, Soheila Golestani, was sentenced to 74 lashes and one year in prison for her performance. Organizations monitoring the treatment of imprisoned writers and journalists in Iran include PEN America and the Committee to Protect Journalists. Reporters Without Borders also maintains updated documentation of media freedom conditions inside Iran at RSF.org. The 98th Academy Awards, at which “It Was Just an Accident” competes, will take place later in 2026. Whether Mahmoudian will be permitted to attend remains unclear. His bail conditions and the ongoing Revolutionary Court proceedings leave his future uncertain.