Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi spoke about the situation in Iran and the aftermath of the recent war during a press conference for his film Parallel Stories at the Cannes Film Festival, stressing that violence against human beings is unacceptable in any form.
Speaking in Cannes, the two-time Oscar-winning director—who was recently in Tehran—described the current atmosphere in Iran as “painful,” noting that the impact of recent events remains deeply with him.
Farhadi emphasized a human-centered perspective, stating that opposing the قتل of innocent civilians does not equate to supporting violence in the streets, and vice versa. He described the taking of any human life as a crime that cannot be justified under any circumstances. He also expressed regret that despite global progress, people still wake up each day to news of innocent lives being lost.
Parallel Stories, which received a warm reception and several minutes of applause at its premiere, follows the story of a writer named Sylvie who observes her neighbors for inspiration, until the arrival of a young man disrupts the course of her narrative.
Farhadi explained that the idea for the film originated from a collaborator of Krzysztof Kieslowski and was inspired by the Decalogue series. He developed the film through a free adaptation of its sixth episode. According to him, storytelling in cinema often evolves intuitively, with the filmmaker allowing the narrative to guide the process.
Addressing the theme of voyeurism in the digital age, Farhadi noted that social media has turned people into observers of each other’s lives, often leading to superficial judgments and imagined understanding.
He also responded to questions about possible connections between the film’s themes and past legal disputes surrounding A Hero, saying that while there may be unconscious influences, the concept of Parallel Stories predates those events and is not directly related.
Farhadi welcomed recent changes to the Academy Awards rules regarding non-English-language films, calling them a wise and significant decision.
On the possibility of making an Iranian film outside the country, he said that although recreating Iranian settings abroad can be costly, he is open to the idea and may pursue it in the future.
Concluding the session, Farhadi smiled when asked about his next project and said: “This baby has just been born.”
