NOTES ON… IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
NOTES ON…
Cinematographer Amin Jafari shares his memories from the shoot for It Was Just an Accident, the 2025 Cannes Palme d’Or -winning thriller directed by Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
It Was Just an Accident was made without official permits and with a tiny crew – a conscious decision aimed at preserving safety, flexibility and speed throughout production. These circumstances pushed us from the very beginning towards a stripped-down, low-profile shooting style. The film’s visual language was shaped directly by the limitations we faced. The frames, lighting and spaces weren’t recreated, they were the actual environments where we and the cast actually lived. The image became a continuation of lived reality, not a ON REALISM (AS A CHOICE AND A NECESSITY) representation of it. In this film, realism wasn’t just a stylistic preference; it was a necessity rooted in the lived conditions of production. Set design, lighting and even camera distance were adjusted according to real locations. We used what was already available in the real world, and whenever some form of reconstruction was unavoidable, we tried to remain faithful to reality – an extension of it, rather than a departure. The goal was never to create something polished or theatrical, but to let each scene feel as close as possible to how life actually unfolds.
CANNES DO ATTITUDE Amin Jafari at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival for It Was Just an Accident
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