Jafar Panahi to announce shock retirement?

  • By Smith Alexander
  • Tehran
  • Last updated on

Panahi created a stir on Friday when rumors have surfaced that his career was over.
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Sad news for Panahi fans. Speculation had been rife that the Iranian director best known for The Circle or The White Balloon, will announce his retirement from all public activities, at age 66, with immediate effect.

UPDATE 18/07/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Being a director isn't fun anymore

“As we get older, there are phases of life that we enter into, and being a director-screenwriter-producer just isn't fun anymore,” he might have said, says a source who remained anonymous. Other reports hinted that he may branch out into other creative fields he is better at (and more interested in), though they didn't provide any details.

#ThankYouJafar

For a little while on Friday evening, #ThankYouJafar was a trending hashtag on Twitter. As many fans reminisce and look back on all the unforgettable memories, some may wonder what about now made him make the decision.

“You’ve accomplished everything I ever dreamed of #ThankYouJafar.”
— @DesireePlum, 17 Jul 2026
“Panahi wasn't retired?”
— @borisB0, 17 Jul 2026

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