MIDDLE EAST WEAVES MAGIC AT THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

Iranian dissident director Jafar Panahi won the Palme d’Or top prize at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, using his acceptance speech to urge his country to unite for “freedom”.

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The latest film from the 64-year-old, It Was Just an Accident, tells the tale of five ordinary Iranians confronting a man they believed tortured them in jail.

The core of the provocative and wry drama examines the moral dilemma faced by people if they are given an opportunity to take revenge on their oppressors.

Panahi, who was banned from making films in 2010 and has been imprisoned twice, used his own experiences in jail to write the screenplay.

"Let’s set aside all problems, all differences. What matters most right now is our country and the freedom of our country," he told the VIP-studded audience on the French Riviera.