Where was It Was Just an Accident filmed? Complete guide to all filming locations and other production details

Jafar Panahi's compelling and acclaimed thriller, It Was Just an Accident, made its World Premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2025, where it won the prestigious Palme d'Or. The plot follows Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), an Azerbaijani auto mechanic and former political prisoner.

When a man named Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi) comes to his shop following a car accident, the squeak of his prosthetic leg triggers Vahid's memory, leading him to believe Eghbal is the "Peg-Leg" torturer from his time in prison. The plot escalates into a tense moral dilemma as Vahid nabs Eghbal and seeks confirmation from other survivors.

It Was Just an Accident is a co-production between Iran, France, and Luxembourg, and was secretly filmed by the Iranian master director, who has long been subject to bans on filmmaking and travel by the Iranian government. The only known location where the filming took place is Tehran.

Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident filming locations and production details

The only confirmed filming location for It Was Just an Accident was in and around Tehran, the capital of Iran. Due to the director's long-standing ban and ongoing pressures from the Iranian government, the entire production was carried out in secret and without official permits. The production dates are thus yet unknown.

The choice of the capital was highlighted by Panahi himself in the official press notes, stating that the team chose Tehran for "practical reasons." The production sources confirmed that certain street names or public buildings were not revealed to protect the actors and crew. Director Pahani stated:

Rather than creating fictional sets, the production focused on the city's everyday life, filming sequences in urban neighborhoods, busy streets, workshops, and interiors; settings that were relevant to a story about a mechanic and regular people coping with trauma.

Panahi also noted that some scenes were intentionally filmed in public with unveiled actresses, a defiant choice that used the authentic locations of Tehran to reflect "current realities inside Iran." This led to direct interference near the end of filming when the situation escalated with the appearance of plainclothes officers, who demanded the footage, causing a temporary pause in the shoot.

After the filmmaker's return from Armenia, he put the production on hold, shutting down filming for a month. To complete the remaining shots, he returned with a small group and managed to finish filming in a single day. The editing was done in Paris, followed by the final color correction and sound mixing in California.

Following the film's win at Cannes, Panahi returned to Iran, expressing his hope that the country would choose to submit his film for the Academy Award. Released on October 1, 2025 in France, It Was Just an Accident will be released by Neon in the U.S. on October 17, 2025.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Edited by Suchita Patnaha