Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident sees the director returning to a more traditional narrative form, yet it is also his most daring, unflinching political work. Based on his own experience as a political prisoner, and on stories shared by fellow cellmates, the film brings together a group of Iranian citizens who debate what they should do with a man they believe tortured them in prison, after a chance encounter brings them together again. Fifteen years after being banned from making films by the Iranian government, during which time he produced a remarkable run of clandestine works, Panahi courageously confronts his oppressor with a psychological drama about survival, moral choices, and political resistance.
2025. Written and directed by Jafar Panahi. With Vahid Mobasseri, Ebrahim Azizi, Mariam Afshari. DCP courtesy NEON. In Persian; English subtitles. 103 min.
Tickets
$10 Hammer members | $20 general admission
Current members, check your email for your link to buy tickets, or contact membership@hammer.ucla.edu. Not a member? Become one today for 50% off tickets!
General admission tickets go on sale Thursday, November 20 at 11 a.m.
ATTENDING THIS PROGRAM?
Ticketing: Limit 2 tickets per customer. Your seat(s) will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket(s) at the box office. Box office opens at 6:30 p.m. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. No late seating; any unclaimed tickets will be released at 7:20 p.m. No refunds and no exchanges. Post-screening guests are subject to change.
Member Benefit: Subject to availability, Hammer Members can choose their preferred seats. Members receive priority ticketing until 15 minutes before the program. Learn more about membership.
Parking: Self-parking is available under the museum. Rates are $8 for the first three hours with museum validation, and $3 for each additional 20 minutes, with a $22 daily maximum. There is an $8 flat rate after 5 p.m. on weekdays, and all day on weekends.
Press: If you are a member of the press and are interested in attending and covering the program, please email the Hammer’s Chief Communications Officer, Scott Tennent, at stennent@hammer.ucla.edu for accommodations.
