Oscar-nominated screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian detained in Iran

Mehdi Mahmoudian, the Iranian screenwriter who co-wrote Jafar Panahi’s film It Was Just An Accident, has been arrested in Iran. The film won last year’s Palme d’Or and is nominated for Best Screenplay and Best International Feature at the upcoming Academy Awards.

Mahmoudian was taken into custody for signing an open letter that criticized Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Iranian government over their response to the nationwide protests that have rocked the country and led to widespread loss of life. According to Neon, the US distributor of the film, Mahmoudian was arrested in Tehran alongside fellow signatories Vida Rabbani and Abdullah Momeni.

Seventeen figures signed the letter, among them Panahi himself, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, and filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, whose The Seed of the Sacred Fig, nominated for the 2025 Oscars, was made before he went into exile in Germany.

The letter accuses Khamenei of approving what it describes as the “mass and systematic killing of citizens” during the anti-government demonstrations that began in December, driven by soaring inflation and a severe cost-of-living crisis. While Iranian authorities have acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths, human rights groups say the true toll is likely far higher, possibly reaching tens of thousands.

Germany’s former Minister of Culture Claudia Roth sharply criticized Mahmoudian’s arrest, calling it “an attack on artistic freedom” and part of a broader campaign by the Iranian state to suppress dissenting voices.

Panahi, who has spoken publicly about Mahmoudian, described him as a figure of quiet moral strength. He recalled meeting Mahmoudian during a previous period of imprisonment, noting his calm nature, generosity toward fellow inmates, and the trust he inspired across ideological lines. Panahi said Mahmoudian’s years in prison and extensive human rights work later made him an invaluable collaborator while refining the screenplay of It Was Just An Accident.

Panahi also recounted losing contact with Mahmoudian shortly before the arrest and learning of the detention through BBC Persian. He described Mahmoudian not only as a human rights activist and prisoner of conscience, but as a rare ethical presence whose absence is deeply felt.

Panahi himself remains under legal pressure in Iran. He was sentenced in absentia late last year to one year in prison and banned from traveling on charges related to “propaganda” against the state. He is appealing the verdict and has said he intends to return to Iran once the awards season concludes.