Jafar Panahi

Jafar Panahi

Scene from Jafar Panahi’s Offside (2006). Photo: Collected

Football, politics and defiance in Jafar Panahi's 'Offside'

In Offside, football is a metaphor for exclusion, a vehicle for protest and, ultimately, a route to freedom.

Director Jafar Panahi poses on the red carpet after the screening of the film "Un simple accident" (It Was Just an Accident) in competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Jafar Panahi named in TIME 100 as a leading voice of cinematic resistance