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Event Overview
StoryBoardDG invites screenwriters, filmmakers, and film lovers to an online screenplay analysis and discussion of It Was Just an Accident on Monday, February 9, from 7:00–10:00 PM PST.
This session will focus on the Oscar-nominated screenplay written and directed by Jafar Panahi, offering participants a rare opportunity to study a contemporary international script shaped under extraordinary political and personal risk.
Advance registration is required and includes a copy of the translated English screenplay, sent prior to the meeting.
Important Details
Time: 7:00 – 10:00 PM PST
Registration deadline: Friday, February 6
Single Meeting Fee: $45
SPECIAL OFFER – ONLY $150 FOR A 6-MONTH MEMBERSHIP OR RENEWAL!
About the Screenplay
LOGLINE
A former political prisoner faces the question of whether to exact revenge on a man he believes may have been his tormentor.
It Was Just an Accident premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or, and has since earned more than 35 awards and 100 nominations worldwide. The film received Academy Award nominations for Best International Feature and Best Original Screenplay, along with multiple Golden Globe nominations.
The screenplay spans 63 pages (English translation) and serves as a powerful case study in moral tension, restraint, and narrative precision. Participants are encouraged to read the script before viewing the film to experience the story first as it exists on the page.
About the Writer
Jafar Panahi is one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation — and one of the most persecuted. His body of work has been celebrated at Cannes, Berlin, and beyond, while simultaneously drawing harsh retaliation from the Iranian regime.
Despite a decades-long ban on filmmaking, writing, travel, and interviews, Panahi continued to make films clandestinely in Iran. While promoting It Was Just an Accident, he was sentenced in absentia to prison and faces the risk of further imprisonment upon returning to Iran following the current awards season.
About the Moderator
The discussion will be led by Diana Lesmez, a produced feature screenwriter, award-winning filmmaker, and industry veteran with experience spanning development, finance, distribution, and studio leadership.
Her credits include the adapted screenplay The Journey Ahead (starring Michael Madsen) and producing Culture Class in AmeriCCA (directed by Emilio Estevez). Diana has held executive roles at Arenas Entertainment (in partnership with Universal Pictures), Patriot Pictures, and served as an industry liaison for Banque Paribas. She currently runs Bumptious Media Consulting, where she offers coaching, workshops, and masterclasses with a focus on pitching and communication.
For questions, contact StoryBoardDG@gmail.com.
