FIPRESCI Platinum Award 2026 to Jafar Panahi

The FIPRESCI is proud to announce that the FIPRESCI Platinum Award 2026 was presented to acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who has graciously accepted this distinction.

Founded in 1925, FIPRESCI has a long-standing tradition of supporting and promoting film criticism worldwide. Since 1946, when the first FIPRESCI Prize was awarded at the Cannes Film Festival, the Federation has recognized outstanding achievements in cinema across international festivals. The Platinum Award, established a decade ago, honours exceptional artists whose work has made a lasting impact on the history and language of film.

Over the years, this distinction has been awarded to major figures of world cinema, including Alan Parker, Nanni Moretti, Andrzej Wajda, Margarethe von Trotta, Costa-Gavras, Ettore Scola, Béla Tarr, Sally Potter, Arturo Ripstein, Goran Paskaljević, Ildikó Enyedi, Lucrecia Martel, Agnieszka Holland, and Ken Loach.

FIPRESCI has followed Panahi’s work with particular admiration over the years, recognizing his remarkable artistic voice, his distinctive cinematic language, and his unwavering commitment to freedom of expression. His films have been honoured multiple times by the Federation, including The White Balloon (1995), The Circle (2000), also awarded the FIPRESCI Grand Prix in San Sebastián International Film Festival), and Taxi (2015).

The FIPRESCI Platinum Award 2026 was presented during the Sofia International Film Festival, organised in cooperation with the festival’s director Stefan Kitanov.

With this award, FIPRESCI celebrates not only an extraordinary body of work, but also a filmmaker whose voice continues to resonate as a powerful testament to the role of cinema in confronting reality and defending artistic freedom.

©FIPRESCI 2026