“What else is left for them to do that they haven’t done yet?” asks resilient Iranian director Jafar Panahi , who was sentenced to six years in prison for “propaganda against the system” after planning a film about protests against the 2009 election. “Are they going to ban me from leaving again? Okay, let them ban me. That way, I have more time, and instead of traveling, I can write my next film. They want to throw me in jail? Okay, let them throw me in jail. Then I will find the topic of my next film.”

Astonishing as it may seem, I have seen Panahi three times outside Iran in the last six months, first in Cannes, where he won the Palme d’Or — the top prize at the world’s most important film festival — for “ It Was Just an Accident .”

Next, I spotted him on the streets of Telluride.

See Full Page