Born in Minaeh, Iran, in 1960, he studied film and TV directing in Tehran. One of the most important directors of Iranian film history, he was Abbas Kiarostami’s assistant in "Through the Olive Trees" (1994), winner of the critics’ prize at the 18th Mostra. "The White Balloon" (1995, 19th Mostra), his first feature film as a director, was awarded the Golden Camera at the Cannes Film Festival. He subsequently made films such as "The Mirror" (1997), presented at the 22nd Mostra (where he was also a member of the international jury) and winner of the Locarno Film Festival, "The Circle" (2000, 24th Mostra), winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, "Crimson Gold" (2003, 28th Mostra), which received the Un Certain Regard jury prize at Cannes, and "Offside" (2006, 30th Mostra), awarded with the Silver Bear at the Berlinale. In 2010, he was sentenced to six years in prison and banned from filmmaking or leaving Iran for two decades under the charge of propaganda against the Iranian government. Despite these restrictions, in the following year he directed "This Is Not a Film" (2011, 35th Mostra). He also directed "Closed Curtain" (2013, 37th Mostra), for which he received the Silver Bear for best screenplay at the Berlin International Film Festival, "Taxi Tehran" (2015), the best film at the Berlinale, "3 Faces" (2018, 42nd Mostra), the best screenplay at Cannes, and “No Bears” (2022, 46th Mostra), winner of the special jury prize at Venice. In 2022, Jafar Panahi was arrested and would not be released until February 2023, after a hunger strike. Panahi received the Humanity Award at the 42nd Mostra in 2018.