CANNES, France – Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi has spoken out against both civilian casualties from Western military strikes on Iran and the government’s violent suppression of protesters, making a rare public statement at the Cannes Film Festival.

Farhadi, who travelled from Tehran last week for the premiere of his French-language film “Parallel Tales”, navigated sensitive political terrain when questioned about his war-torn homeland on Friday.

The director highlighted what he called two “tragic events” this year, referencing “the death of many innocent people, children, civilians who were killed during the war, during the attack that Iran has suffered”.

He continued: “And before this war, there was the death of many demonstrators, people who had taken to the streets to protest, who were just as innocent, and who were massacred.”

“Every murder is a crime. From no point of view, or with any justification, can I accept life being taken away from someone, whether it’s a war, an execution, or massacring protesters,” Farhadi said.

Iran has been engaged in conflict with Israel and the United States since 28 February, with a fragile ceasefire holding since 8 April.

Since the conflict began, Tehran has accelerated executions, particularly in cases involving alleged espionage or security-related charges.

The country experienced massive anti-government demonstrations that reached their peak in January. The government acknowledged more than 3 000 deaths during the protests but attributed the violence to “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

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Human rights organisations and independent researchers estimate the death toll ranges from 7 000 to 35 000, with victims killed through indiscriminate shooting by security forces.

Iranian filmmakers work under strict censorship and face constant pressure from authorities. Several prominent directors, including Jafar Panahi, who won Cannes’ top prize last year, and Mohammad Rasoulof, have been either imprisoned or forced into exile.

Farhadi has won two Academy Awards for best foreign language film, for “A Separation” (2011) and “The Salesman” (2016).

His latest work, “Parallel Tales”, explores voyeurism and art in Paris with a French cast but received lukewarm reviews following its Thursday screening at Cannes. Film magazine Screen described it as “convoluted and superficial”, whilst Variety called it “weirdly muddled”.

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