The Uncaged Lens: Jafar Panahi's Defiant Cinema

Panahi's critique became even more direct in Offside (2006), which humorously yet poignantly centers on a group of young women who disguise themselves as boys to sneak into a World Cup qualifying match, as women are legally prohibited from attending men's sporting events in Iran. Filmed in a semi-documentary style, the film's unflinching examination of discriminatory laws led to it being officially banned in Iran, though it won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, amplifying his status as a dissident filmmaker.