TATAMI
Iranian female judoka Leila and her coach Maryam, travel to the Judo World Championship, intent on bringing home Iran’s first gold medal. Midway through the Judo World Championships, they receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and lose, or she will be branded a traitor to the state. With her own and her family’s freedom at stake, Leila is faced with an impossible choice: comply with the Iranian regime as her coach Maryam implores her to do, or fight on, for the gold.
Tatami is the first feature film co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker.
Guy Nattiv is a filmmaker originally from Israel. His first American short film, Skin, won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short. The feature version, also titled Skin, premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Critics Prize. Nattiv’s film Golda (2023) is about the first female Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir. In Israel, Guy wrote and directed three features: The Flood (2012), Magic Men (2014), and Strangers (2008). Guy lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.
Zar Amir Ebrahimi is an Iranian-French actress, producer, director, and casting director. She rose to international prominence for her performance as journalist Arezoo Rahimi in the crime thriller Holy Spider (2022), for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and the Robert Award for Best Actress. She is also a producer and director for the BBC and oversees a cultural program for the Persian branch of BBC World. In 2022, she appeared on BBC‘s 100 Women list as one of the world‘s inspiring and influential women of the year.
Venice Film Festival – Brian Award
Tokyo International Film Festival – Best Actress Award, Special Jury Prize in International Competition
Munich Film Festival – Fritz-Gerlich-Preis
TATAMI (ff.)
Director: Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahimi
Country: United States
Year: 2023.
Runtime: 103’
Language: Farsi, English
Cast: Arienne Mandi, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Ash Goldeh, Elham Erfani, Jaime Ray Newman
Production: Keshet Studios, New Native Pictures
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PROGRAM LINE: INTERNATIONAL SELECTION