Jafar Panahi To Be Freed From Prison, On Bail

Nearly three months after his initial imprisonment, Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi may have finally gotten the first bit of good news that he’s heard in a long time.

According to the AFP, Panahi will indeed be freed on bail after prosecutors in Tehran heard and received Panahi’s request to be released before the trial, ‘examined and accepted’ the request, and will now release the director.

He has been imprisoned since March 1, after making an ‘anti-regime film about the unrest that rocked the country last year after the disputed re-election of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.’ The director, his wife, his daughter, and 15 other house guests were taken into custody, with all but Panahi finding a speedy release from jail.

Panahi is best known as the director of films like The Circle and The White Balloon, the two of which won him awards at the Venice and Cannes Film Festival respectively. He’s received multiple shows of support from filmmakers around the world, and was even a member of the recent Cannes Film Festival jury, which he was not able to be released for.

Now it looks like the filmmaker will be moving onto an actual trial, which means a whole new set of circumstances for the director. More on this as it develops.

Source: AFP

Follow all of our coverage of Jafar Panahi’s imprisonment here.