Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1543164
40 C I N E M O N T A G E F E A T U R E the outside world and dedicate my entire mind to the work I am doing. I don't allow the stressful circumstances around me to interfere with my creative process. Until something actually happens, I don't waste energy thinking about it; and when it does happen, I try to stay calm and immediately look for a solution, no matter how stressful the situation might be. The presence of Mr. Panahi, and the deep sense of calm he carries within himself, are so inspiring and reassuring that no amount of stress can disrupt my creative flow. After completing the full edit of the film in Tehran, I returned to Istanbul. Once I was back, some minor adjustments were made to the edit, which I carried out here in Istanbul. Mr. Panahi stayed in touch with me through online video calls, and together we implemented the necessary changes. After finalizing each update, I exported XML files and sent them to him in France so that the modifications could be applied to the final version of the film at the laboratory. CineMontage: The final film is 103 minutes. How long was the initial assembly, and what was your method for cutting it down? Our initial rough cut was around 119 minutes. From the very beginning, we had established a proper rhythm for the film, and the changes we made during editing were mostly minor refinements. Sometimes, when I reviewed the timeline at the end of the day, I would notice that we had altered or removed no more than sixty seconds of footage. I n t h e f i n a l ve rs i o n , t h e re we re n o major structural changes. Everything had been finalized in Tehran, and only a few transitional shots and road sequences were slightly shortened. We were very precise in ensuring that nothing unnecessary remained in the film. Even during produc- tion, we tried to avoid shooting additional or redundant takes that we felt would not appear in the final cut. CineMontage: Can you tell us about the time you were stopped by the police? It was near the end of the shoot, around 6 or 7 p.m., we arrived at the location — a quiet alley in Tehran. As I sat in a corner of a nearby park to review the footage with the makeup artist (Parisa Gardeshi), the assistant director (Shahrokh Panahi), the production man- ager (Behnam Roshan), I noticed a few suspicious motorcyclists approaching. I sensed danger but tried not to draw at- tention. The entire edited film was on my Jafar Panahi. P H OT O : M E D I A H A N D O U T DRIVING FORWARD: On the set of "It Was Just An Accident."