It Was Just An Accident12A

Directed by Jafar Panahi | France/Iran/Luxembourg | 2025 | 1h 44m | Persian w/ English subtitles | Starring Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi

Azerbaijani car mechanic Vahid still bears the scars of his past when he was imprisoned and interrogated blindfolded by Iranian authorities. One day, after a road accident, a man named Eghbal enters his workshop with a creaking prosthetic leg. Vahid is struck by a chilling thought: could this be one of his former torturers? As suspicion turns to obsession, he begins to contemplate revenge. After years of censorship and imprisonment, award-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi returns with a tense and unforgettable thriller which won the Palme d’Or (Best Film) at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Reviews

Panahi holds this tonal range expertly as laughs give away to a probing, philosophical third act that upends expectations in quietly thrilling style.’
★★★★★
Philip De Semlyen, The Times

‘It’s another very impressive serio-comic film from one of the most distinctive and courageous figures in world cinema.’
★★★★
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed It Was Just An Accident between December 19, 2025 and January 8, 2026.

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What else is on?

Today (Saturday 2nd May)

14:00

The Metamorphosis PG
2h 40m
Join us in person for a unique screening of ‘The Metamorphosis’, inspired by Kafka’s classic novella. Dive into this surreal story brought to life on the big screen. This event has been arranged by the filmmaker, tickets are on sale via Eventbrite.

Book here

17:30

Father Mother Sister Brother 15
1h 50m
Acclaimed director Jim Jarmusch weaves stories across New Jersey, Dublin and Paris, where siblings reunite amid family tensions and tragedy. Starring Adam Driver, Cate Blanchett and Vicky Krieps, this Golden Lion-winning triptych blends quiet humour with poignant insight.

Book here

20:15

Miroirs No. 3 15
1h 26m | German w/ English subtitles
A young piano student survives a car crash and is taken in by a woman whose intense care turns deeply unsettling. Starring Laura Beer and directed by Christian Petzold, this haunting psychological complex drama probes trauma, memory and hidden pasts.

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Tomorrow (Sunday 3rd May)

12:45

How to Train Your Dragon PG
Kino Kids Cinema Club
1h 39m
Shy Viking Hiccup must face a dragon as a rite of passage but instead befriends one. Together, they challenge fear, fight for peace, and unite humans and dragons in this heartfelt, humorous, and action-packed computer-animated adventure.

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15:00

Man of Iron 12A
2h 32m | Polish w/ English subtitles
Blurring fact and fiction, Andrzej Wajda depicts workers’ protests and political awakening in 1980s Poland, as a journalist confronts propaganda, ethics, and social change. Part of Kinoteka On Tour – Polish Film Festival.

Book here

18:15

Miroirs No. 3 15
1h 26m | German w/ English subtitles
A young piano student survives a car crash and is taken in by a woman whose intense care turns deeply unsettling. Starring Laura Beer and directed by Christian Petzold, this haunting psychological complex drama probes trauma, memory and hidden pasts.

Book here

20:30

Father Mother Sister Brother 15
1h 50m
Acclaimed director Jim Jarmusch weaves stories across New Jersey, Dublin and Paris, where siblings reunite amid family tensions and tragedy. Starring Adam Driver, Cate Blanchett and Vicky Krieps, this Golden Lion-winning triptych blends quiet humour with poignant insight.

Book here


Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!