Oscar-nominated Iranian screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian released after 17 days in prison

Mehdi Mahmoudian, co-writer of the Oscar-nominated and Cannes Palme d'Or-winning film "It Was Just an Accident," was released from an Iranian prison on February 17, 2026 after 17 days of detention. Mahmoudian had been arrested in Tehran in early February after signing a public statement condemning Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the regime's violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrators. The film, directed by Jafar Panahi and co-written with Nader Saeivar and Shadmehr Rastin, was nominated for Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay. Panahi, who directed from hiding inside Iran, publicly called Iran a failed state after Mahmoudian's arrest.