MUMBAI: Currently under arrest, Iranian director Jafar Panahi will receive this year’s Carrosse d’or or the Golden Coach Prize. Carrosse d’or is a tribute by Directors’ Fortnight to a director for his or her innovative qualities, courage and independent-mindedness of his or her work.

Panahi won the Camera d’Or award at the Cannes film festival in 1995 for his debut feature The White Balloon. He was jailed for six years and banned from directing films for 20 years after his films were regarded to be critical of the current regime in Iran in December last year.

Festival de Cannes will keep a seat empty in the middle of the orchestra at the Croisette theatre, the venue for the festival’s Directors’ Fortnight.

Berlin International Film festival too kept a chair empty at this year’s Jury in protest of his confinement, early 2011.

The Carrosse d’or comprising of a bronze statuette inspired by the figures of the Comedia dell’Arte and Jean Renoir’s film of the same name, has been earlier awarded to Jacques Rozier, Clint Eastwood, Nanni Moretti, Sembene Ousmane, David Cronenberg, Alain Cavalier, Jim Jarmusch, Naomie Kawase and Agnes Varda since it was first presented in 2002.

The Cannes Film Festival will take place from 12 to 22 May.