The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) was really hoping to welcome Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi (It Was Just An Accident) to its 60th edition and 80th anniversary edition in the Czech spa town. But a travel ban for the Oscar nominee and another prison sentence that he is facing in Iran shattered that hope.

In early June, an Iranian court upheld a verdict finding Panahi guilty of “propaganda against the regime,” a sentence of one year in prison and a two-year travel ban. The Cannes Palme d’Or 2025 winner is also prohibted from joining political and social groups and associations.

The Czech festival had eyed Panahi as a guest as part of the creative team behind Hijamat, a Crystal Globe competition movie from Iranian director Nader Saeivar (The Witness), which was produced and edited by Panahi. The film, starring Kida Khodr Ramadan, Moritz Bleibtreu and Nastassja Kinski, focuses on Murad, 50, whose life is “shaken to the core when he learns that his younger brother is gay,” according to a synopsis. “Murad would like to support his brother, but their traditional Muslim family is against it. As a result, he finds himself subjected to pressures from all sides – from his father, who has close ties to the local imam, and from his brother’s circle of friends as well.”

“We were in touch with Mr. Panahi because we were helping to release his film It Was Just an Accident in Czech cinemas in January, so we did some online interviews” for that, KVIFF artistic director Karel Och tells THR. “Because of his crucial involvement in Hijamat, we wanted him to come with the team. It was a plan until the day we found out about his passport being taken away.”

That left Och and the KVIFF team with a mix of feelings. “Obviously, we’re very sad,” he says. “We just can’t stop admiring this man, not just for his artistry, but also for his human approach and his courage, which is just jaw-dropping. And it’s not just Mr. Panahi.”

Indeed, KVIFF has screened films from Iran filmmakers, including Soheil Beiraghi‘s fourth feature, Bidad (Outcry), which last year won the Special Jury Prize, and also featured a 2023 retrospective of Iranian underground cinema. “We know how Iranian filmmakers who are dealing with certain elements and topics in their movies are aware of the consequences, yet they are fearless,” Och explains. “And that’s something that is really mind-blowing and something to marvel at.”

Och highlights that in its selection, the KVIFF programming team looks for “the art of film, but also something with strong political commentary,” explaining: “We would probably not screen a film which is just a statement, but we are always really happy and keen to support a good film which has a political tone and very clear political ideas.”