Iranian director Jafar Panahi, whose latest film won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, told AFP he would continue to defy his country’s censors and ignore the risk of returning to prison.

His new film “It Was Just an Accident”, released internationally from Wednesday, chronicles the story of five Iranians confronting a man who could be their former jailor.

Firmly grounded in contemporary Iranian society, it also examines universal themes such as the impact of state repression as well as questions about the role of violence and forgiveness.

AFP sat down with Panahi in Paris to discuss how his work is received at home as well as his future projects.

The following has been translated from the original Persian and has been lightly edited for clarity.

– What has life in Iran been

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