One of the expected cinematic events in the last edition of the Venice Film Festival (Venice) is the screening of the first feature film co-produced by Israeli and Iranian filmmakers: “Tatami”, directed by the Israeli Guy Nativ and the Iranian Zare Amir Ibrahimi.
The film, which was co-written by the Iranian-French Iranian, Elham Erfani, co-directed, co-starring Iranian actor Mehdi Bojestani alongside his compatriot Zare Amir Ebrahimi, and the cast is completed by the names of Arien Mandy, Jaime Ray Newman and Ash Golde. The film is shown within the “Special Horizons” section of the prestigious film festival.
The film’s script deals with the story of the Iranian judoka Leila (Mandy) and her coach Maryam (Ibrahimi), who, in the midst of their participation in the World Judo Championships while awaiting a confrontation with an Israeli player, receive an ultimatum from the Iranian supreme authorities, ordering Leila to fake her injury and lose to her rival, otherwise she will be considered a traitor to the Republic. Islamic. With her and her family’s freedom at stake, Laila faces an impossible choice: give up on her dream and obey the Iranian regime as her coach urges her, or defy orders and keep fighting for Iran’s first gold medal in world competitions.
“Tatami” is the first film to be produced in cooperation between Iranian and Israeli actors, and there is no doubt that this topic will cause a sensation at the Venice Film Festival, just as it will have negative effects on the image of the dissident and angry Iranian actress. After Cannes, the Venice Film Festival is considered the most prestigious film festival in the world.
“It is a great honor to work with such true creative forces (Zar, Elham and Aryan) to bring this important story to life,” said director Guy Nattif. He added, “This is more than just a movie, it is a creative statement addressed to the world as thousands of innocent Iranians sacrifice their lives for the sake of freedom.”
Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who has been living in the French capital Paris for years after a sex scandal ruined her career in Iran, said about this film: “The story of this film is the story of many Iranian athletes who lose their career opportunities and are sometimes forced to leave the country and their loved ones because of the conflict. with this system. Ibrahimi added – in her defense and justification for cooperation with an Israeli director to make this film – that this artistic and cinematic cooperation with the Israeli director is a “greeting” to these athletes, “that goes beyond blind hatred and mutual destruction.”
Zar Amir Ebrahimi won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival last year for her role in the film “Sacred Spider” by Ali Abbasi, which deals with the crimes of a serial killer in the early millennium who targeted prostitutes in the Iranian holy city, and the attempts of a young journalist from Tehran (played by Ebrahimi). ) track down the serial killer herself and make him pay for his crimes.
Mehdi Bojestani, who co-starred with Ebrahimi in “The Holy Spider,” and Arin Mandi, another actress of Iranian descent, also play roles in the film.
