Yek Tasadof-e Sade (It Was Just An Accident)

Please note: This screening is taking place at Ultimate Picture Palace, Jeune Street, Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1BN.

The latest work from the Iranian master. A dark, touching political and social satire that won the Palme d’Or in 2025.

A former political prisoner discovers the man he thinks was their torturer, but cannot be certain. Panahi critiques the callousness and the hollow ideological utopianism of the autocratic regime in Iran while also calling into question moral utopias of freedom, justice, and revenge. 

The film will open with a special introduction from a speaker from the University of Oxford.

Part of Utopia Now!, a season exploring the role of the arts in making a better future possible.

About the Laughing at Utopia Film Series

This film series, curated by the TORCH Humour Network in collaboration with Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford’s oldest independent cinema, explores the playful and provocative relationship between utopia and satire.

Find out more

Films in the series

• Tuesday 20 October : El ángel exterminador  (The Exterminating Angel), 1962, Luis Buñuel.
• Tuesday 10 November: Playtime, Jacques Tati. (Please note: This screening is taking place at Ultimate Picture Palace)
• Tuesday 17 November: Kynodontas (Dogtooth), Yorgos Lanthimos.
• Tuesday 1 December: Yek Tasadof-e Sade (It Was Just An Accident), Jafar Panahi. (Please note: This screening is taking place at Ultimate Picture Palace)