Neon has acquired North American distribution rights to Jafar Panahi’s Cannes Competition title It Was Just An Accident from mk2 Films, with Mubi taking rights to multiple international territories.
Mubi has bought the film for UK-Ireland, Germany, Latin America, Austria, Turkey and India.
It Was Just An Accident is Iranian auteur Panahi’s first film since his release from prison in Iran in February 2023 after seven months’ incarceration.
Inspired by his time in prison, the film follows a man, his heavily pregnant wife and their young daughter, as they get in a minor car accident and the chain of events that is then set in motion.
Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi and Vahid Mobasser star in the film, which is produced by Panahi and Philippe Martin and co-produced by Sandrine Dumas and Christel Henon, with associate producers David Thion and Lilina Eche.
Producers are France’s Les Films Pelleas and Iran’s Jafar Panahi Production.
It is the second Panahi film Neon has released, after his Cannes 2021 Special Screenings title The Year Of The Everlasting Storm; and second recent Iranian title on the distributor’s slate following Mohammad Rasoulof’s Bafta- and Oscar-nominated The Seed Of The Sacred Fig.
It is Neon’s second Competition buy in the last two days after Kleber Mendonca Filho’s The Secret Agent; while the company also debuted Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value last night, and Julia Ducournau’s Alpha earlier in the week.
Neon is on a five-year streak of releasing Palme d’Or winners in the US, beginning with 2019’s Parasite and running through to last year’s eventual Oscar best picture winner Anora.
Mubi is sweeping up the Cannes Competition, now holding rights for select territories on eight of the 22 films in the section.
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