The first feature film co-directed by Iranian and Israeli directors was announced on Wednesday. The film will be part of the “Orizzonti” competition at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. The film titled ‘Tatami’ was co-directed by Israeli director Guy Nattiv and Iranian actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi who also plays one of the lead roles. The 42-year-old winner of last year’s Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival fled Iran and moved to France in 2008.
The film Tatami is Ebrahimi’s directorial debut. The film is a political thriller about an Iranian judoka named Leila and her coach Maryam. The two women travel to the Judo World Championship with the aim of bringing home Iran’s first gold medal, but the Iranian government asks Leila to fake an injury and lose or else she will endanger her family and will be declared a traitor. The screenplay was written by Israeli Guy Nattiv and Iranian-French actress and director Elham Erfani, who has also settled in Paris since 2006. According to the creators, the film was inspired by real-life stories of Iranian athletes who they are opposed to the regime and have faced its consequences.
“Creating this film with Zar Amir Ebrahimi as director and Elham Erfani as screenwriter was a unique experience. I am thrilled that this is the first collaboration between Israeli and Iranian creators, and that our project has been welcomed at the prestigious Venice Film Festival. This is a dream come true and a real opportunity to shape the voices of Iranian women who struggle against the oppressive regime in their country on a daily basis,” said Nattiv, former Academy Award winner for Best Live Short Film for 2019 Skin.
The Venice Film Festival will be held from August 30th to September 9th.
2023-08-01 07:12:33
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