My Rep and Me is a recurring Culture Shift feature in which reps and clients from the same historically marginalized background sit down to discuss the chemistry and business advantages of their special connection, in order to underscore the importance and benefits of diverse representation.
UTA partner Keya Khayatian and actress-filmmaker Zar Amir Ebrahimi are both from Iran but left the country under somewhat traumatic circumstances: Khayatian as a child with his parents fleeing the Islamic Revolution and Ebrahimi in 2008 when she ran afoul of the conservative regime and faced blacklisting and imprisonment. Now based in France, the latter has rebuilt her career and in 2022 became the first Iranian performer to win best actress at Cannes with her role as a journalist investigating a serial killer targeting sex workers in Holy Spider.
It was at the 2023 Sundance premiere of Ebrahimi’s latest film, Shayda, in which she plays an immigrant...
UTA partner Keya Khayatian and actress-filmmaker Zar Amir Ebrahimi are both from Iran but left the country under somewhat traumatic circumstances: Khayatian as a child with his parents fleeing the Islamic Revolution and Ebrahimi in 2008 when she ran afoul of the conservative regime and faced blacklisting and imprisonment. Now based in France, the latter has rebuilt her career and in 2022 became the first Iranian performer to win best actress at Cannes with her role as a journalist investigating a serial killer targeting sex workers in Holy Spider.
It was at the 2023 Sundance premiere of Ebrahimi’s latest film, Shayda, in which she plays an immigrant...
- 3/2/2024
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tatami, the groundbreaking Iranian drama co-directed by Oscar winner Guy Nattiv (Golda) and Cannes best actress winner Zar Amir Ebrahimi, has been picked up by XYZ Films for North America, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Based on real-life stories, the Farsi-language drama sees Arienne Mandi play Leila, an Iranian female judo athlete who travels to a world championship with her coach, played by Ebrahimi. Midway through the competition, they receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and lose, or she will be branded a traitor of the state.
With her own freedom as well as her family’s at stake, she’s faced with an impossible choice: comply with the Iranian regime as her coach implores her to do, or fight on for the gold.
Tatami is the first feature film to have Iranian and Israeli filmmakers as co-directors. Nattiv directed the 2023 film Golda,...
Based on real-life stories, the Farsi-language drama sees Arienne Mandi play Leila, an Iranian female judo athlete who travels to a world championship with her coach, played by Ebrahimi. Midway through the competition, they receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and lose, or she will be branded a traitor of the state.
With her own freedom as well as her family’s at stake, she’s faced with an impossible choice: comply with the Iranian regime as her coach implores her to do, or fight on for the gold.
Tatami is the first feature film to have Iranian and Israeli filmmakers as co-directors. Nattiv directed the 2023 film Golda,...
- 2/17/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ali Abbasi brought her on as a casting director and as fate would have it Zar Amir Ebrahimi would go onto land the role that was originally not meant for her and win the Best Actress award (see here) at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022. Holy Spider would catapult the actress to international recognition but as we learned, Ebrahimi was already making inroads onto significant contributions that premiered in 2023 with Shayda (a Sundance selection and Audience Award winner) and Venice preemed Tatami (a film that allowed her to cut her teeth as a director alongside Guy Nattiv).…...
- 12/30/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Tatami, the groundbreaking Iranian drama co-directed by Oscar-winner Guy Nattiv (Golda, Skin) and Cannes best actress winner Zar Amir Ebrahimi (Shayda, Holy Spider), has landed a number of major international territory deals following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
WestEnd Films has closed sales on the feature — the first to be co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker — for Italy (Bim Distribuzione), France (Metropolitan), Portugal (Nos), Benelux (Cineart), Greece (Cinobo), Scandinavia (Mislabel), Spain (Vertigo), Germany and Switzerland (Wild Bunch), and Israel (United King). Discussions are undergoing for North America, the U.K. and all remaining territories. Range are co-repping North America with Westend.
Based on real-life stories, Tatami follows Iranian female judokas Leila (Arienne Mandi) and her coach Maryam (Ebrahimi), who travel to the Judo World Championship intent on bringing home Iran’s first gold medal. Midway through the competition, they receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic...
WestEnd Films has closed sales on the feature — the first to be co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker — for Italy (Bim Distribuzione), France (Metropolitan), Portugal (Nos), Benelux (Cineart), Greece (Cinobo), Scandinavia (Mislabel), Spain (Vertigo), Germany and Switzerland (Wild Bunch), and Israel (United King). Discussions are undergoing for North America, the U.K. and all remaining territories. Range are co-repping North America with Westend.
Based on real-life stories, Tatami follows Iranian female judokas Leila (Arienne Mandi) and her coach Maryam (Ebrahimi), who travel to the Judo World Championship intent on bringing home Iran’s first gold medal. Midway through the competition, they receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic...
- 10/5/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New Delhi, Sep 10 (Ians) Close relatives of people with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease have a higher risk of developing liver cancer and dying from liver-related diseases, according to a new study.
It means that family members could also benefit from the lifestyle advice that is currently only given to patients, the researchers said in the study published in The Journal of Hepatology.
People with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease have an elevated risk of developing and dying from liver cancer.
Masld is now the main reason why the number of people developing liver cancer has risen so sharply.
However, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now show that close relatives and partners also have an increased risk of developing liver cancer and advanced liver disease.
“Our findings indicate that patients with Masld should not be treated separately,” said Fahim Ebrahimi, doctor and researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics,...
It means that family members could also benefit from the lifestyle advice that is currently only given to patients, the researchers said in the study published in The Journal of Hepatology.
People with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease have an elevated risk of developing and dying from liver cancer.
Masld is now the main reason why the number of people developing liver cancer has risen so sharply.
However, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now show that close relatives and partners also have an increased risk of developing liver cancer and advanced liver disease.
“Our findings indicate that patients with Masld should not be treated separately,” said Fahim Ebrahimi, doctor and researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics,...
- 9/10/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Venice Film Festival’s red carpet swapped glamour for politics on Saturday, hosting a flash mob in solidarity with the Iranian people, fighting against repression, as well as filmmakers who are being oppressed – and arrested – because of their work.
Such as “Leila’s Brothers” director Saeed Roustaee, recently sentenced to six months in prison for showing the film in Cannes. He has also been banned from making movies.
“Born in 1989, Roustaee represents a new generation of Iranian auteurs, and one who’s sly enough to embed his complex social critiques so deep into the fabric of sprawling modern stories that he hasn’t upset the regime. Not yet, at least,” ominously wrote Variety’s Peter Debruge following its premiere at the French fest.
Roustaee also made “Life and a Day” and thriller “Just 6.5,” which was shown in Venice.
Elham Erfani, Zahra Amir Ebrahimi and guests attend the Flash Mob in Solidarity With Iranian People.
Such as “Leila’s Brothers” director Saeed Roustaee, recently sentenced to six months in prison for showing the film in Cannes. He has also been banned from making movies.
“Born in 1989, Roustaee represents a new generation of Iranian auteurs, and one who’s sly enough to embed his complex social critiques so deep into the fabric of sprawling modern stories that he hasn’t upset the regime. Not yet, at least,” ominously wrote Variety’s Peter Debruge following its premiere at the French fest.
Roustaee also made “Life and a Day” and thriller “Just 6.5,” which was shown in Venice.
Elham Erfani, Zahra Amir Ebrahimi and guests attend the Flash Mob in Solidarity With Iranian People.
- 9/2/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Jane Campion, Damien Chazelle, Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv joined a flash mob on the Venice Film Festival’s red carpet on Saturday in support of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Iran.
They were among around 100 filmmakers, artists and pro-democracy activists joining the flashmob, which took place ahead of tonight’s gala screening of Maestro.
The group carried placards with portraits of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, whose death in police custody last September, after she was arrested for not wearing her veil correctly, sparked the protests.
There were also banners for Leila’s Brothers director Roustayi, who it emerged last month had been sentenced to six months in prison on charges of “anti-regime propaganda activity” for screening the family drama in Cannes in 2022.
Saeed Roustee had previously participated at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 in the Orizzonti section with Just 6.5 (Metri Shesho Nim).
The arrests are believed to...
They were among around 100 filmmakers, artists and pro-democracy activists joining the flashmob, which took place ahead of tonight’s gala screening of Maestro.
The group carried placards with portraits of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, whose death in police custody last September, after she was arrested for not wearing her veil correctly, sparked the protests.
There were also banners for Leila’s Brothers director Roustayi, who it emerged last month had been sentenced to six months in prison on charges of “anti-regime propaganda activity” for screening the family drama in Cannes in 2022.
Saeed Roustee had previously participated at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 in the Orizzonti section with Just 6.5 (Metri Shesho Nim).
The arrests are believed to...
- 9/2/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
“Holy Spider” breakout Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv are set to make history with “Tatami,” the first feature co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker.
Premiering in Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section, “Tatami” shows Iranian female judo fighter Leila (played by “The L Word: Generation Q” star Arienne Mandi) heading to the world championships with her coach Maryam (Ebrahimi). Soon, they receive an ultimatum: in order to avoid squaring off against an Israeli opponent, Leila should immediately fake an injury and drop out.
“Can you imagine how many threats I have received after ‘Holy Spider,’ accusing me of ‘working with Jews’? We are not even allowed to call someone Israeli. It’s always ‘the occupying regime,’” Ebrahimi says.
Fearing for their safety, they decided to shoot in secret.
“We didn’t want anyone to know about it. We shot in Tbilisi in Georgia, two hours away from...
Premiering in Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section, “Tatami” shows Iranian female judo fighter Leila (played by “The L Word: Generation Q” star Arienne Mandi) heading to the world championships with her coach Maryam (Ebrahimi). Soon, they receive an ultimatum: in order to avoid squaring off against an Israeli opponent, Leila should immediately fake an injury and drop out.
“Can you imagine how many threats I have received after ‘Holy Spider,’ accusing me of ‘working with Jews’? We are not even allowed to call someone Israeli. It’s always ‘the occupying regime,’” Ebrahimi says.
Fearing for their safety, they decided to shoot in secret.
“We didn’t want anyone to know about it. We shot in Tbilisi in Georgia, two hours away from...
- 9/2/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The death of Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16, 2022, would shake Iran to its core. In what proved to be a tinder box moment and led to what experts have asserted was the greatest challenge to the hard-line Iranian government since the 1979 revolution, the 22-year-old died in Tehran, having allegedly been beaten by the police after she’d been arrested for not wearing the mandatory hijab.
The news sparked widespread protests across the country as thousands took to the streets over the following weeks and months to demand an end to the hijab rule and for wider social freedoms, particularly for women. The brutal crackdown by authorities that followed resulted in more than 500 reportedly killed by security forces and tens of thousands detained.
Amini’s death would also shake up the production of Tatami, then underway in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, just over 200 miles from the Iranian border. The film, receiving...
The news sparked widespread protests across the country as thousands took to the streets over the following weeks and months to demand an end to the hijab rule and for wider social freedoms, particularly for women. The brutal crackdown by authorities that followed resulted in more than 500 reportedly killed by security forces and tens of thousands detained.
Amini’s death would also shake up the production of Tatami, then underway in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, just over 200 miles from the Iranian border. The film, receiving...
- 8/31/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Iranian filmmaker Ali Ahmadzadeh clinched the Golden Leopard in the main international competition of the 76th Locarno Film Festival with his latest feature Critical Zone (Mantagheye Bohrani).
Ahmadzadeh was not in attendance to receive the award as he is currently banned from leaving his native Iran. Last month, the country’s authorities summoned Ahmadzadeh to the Ministry of Security, where he was pressured to pull Critical Zone from Locarno’s official competition. The film’s international sales agent Luxbox Paris and the producer, Sina Ataeian Dena, also said they had received threatening emails and messages demanding the film be pulled from the fest.
The pic, described as “a hymn to freedom and resistance in Iran,” was shot without permission from authorities before recent protests started. The plot follows a man who drives through Tehran’s underworld with his dog, dealing drugs and healing troubled souls. Born in Tehran in 1986, Critical Zone...
Ahmadzadeh was not in attendance to receive the award as he is currently banned from leaving his native Iran. Last month, the country’s authorities summoned Ahmadzadeh to the Ministry of Security, where he was pressured to pull Critical Zone from Locarno’s official competition. The film’s international sales agent Luxbox Paris and the producer, Sina Ataeian Dena, also said they had received threatening emails and messages demanding the film be pulled from the fest.
The pic, described as “a hymn to freedom and resistance in Iran,” was shot without permission from authorities before recent protests started. The plot follows a man who drives through Tehran’s underworld with his dog, dealing drugs and healing troubled souls. Born in Tehran in 1986, Critical Zone...
- 8/12/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, who is an executive producer on Noora Niasari’s debut film Shayda, will not be attending the pic’s August 12 closing-night screening at the Locarno Film Festival out of support for the SAG-AFTRA strike. Niasari and star Zar Amir Ebrahimi will attend the movie’s play at the Swiss fest.
“As executive producer I couldn’t be more proud of Shayda, the remarkable debut feature from Iranian-Australian Noora Niasari, starring the extraordinary Zar Amir Ebrahimi,” Blanchett said in a statement to Deadline. “I celebrate the work of the whole filmmaking team and am thrilled that the film can be seen at the closing night of the glorious Locarno Festival next week.”
She added: “As a dedicated member of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Actors’ Council, I have made the difficult but necessary decision not to attend at this crucial time. Dirty Films wholeheartedly supports Noora Niasari’s resonant,...
“As executive producer I couldn’t be more proud of Shayda, the remarkable debut feature from Iranian-Australian Noora Niasari, starring the extraordinary Zar Amir Ebrahimi,” Blanchett said in a statement to Deadline. “I celebrate the work of the whole filmmaking team and am thrilled that the film can be seen at the closing night of the glorious Locarno Festival next week.”
She added: “As a dedicated member of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Actors’ Council, I have made the difficult but necessary decision not to attend at this crucial time. Dirty Films wholeheartedly supports Noora Niasari’s resonant,...
- 8/2/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Aftersun director Charlotte Wells and Holy Spider star Zar Amir Ebrahimi have joined the jury of the 76th Locarno International Film Festival and will judge the 2023 competitors for the festival’s Golden Leopard award. Ebrahimi also stars in Noora Niasari’s Sundance audience award winner Shayda, which will be the closing film in Locarno this year.
French actor Lambert Wilson, known for his performances in the Matrix films, will head up this year’s Locarno international jury as president. Also in the 2023 jury are European Film Academy director and CEO Matthijs Wouter Knol and Lesli Klainberg, President of Film at New York’s Lincoln Center.
The films of Locarno’s Concorso Cineasti del presente sidebar, featuring works from first and second-time directors will be assessed by a three-person jury of Beatrice Fiorentino, general delegate of Film Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival, the French-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri (Under the Fig Trees...
French actor Lambert Wilson, known for his performances in the Matrix films, will head up this year’s Locarno international jury as president. Also in the 2023 jury are European Film Academy director and CEO Matthijs Wouter Knol and Lesli Klainberg, President of Film at New York’s Lincoln Center.
The films of Locarno’s Concorso Cineasti del presente sidebar, featuring works from first and second-time directors will be assessed by a three-person jury of Beatrice Fiorentino, general delegate of Film Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival, the French-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri (Under the Fig Trees...
- 7/12/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s that time of year again — the break between Cannes and the fall festivals, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences makes its membership invitations. The Oscars group said today that it has extended offers to 398 artists and execs — one more than last year — who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to motion pictures.
The list includes actors, directors, writers, producers, musicians, executives, artist reps, publicists and below-the-liners such as casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, film editors, makeup artists and hairstylists, production designers and sound pros.
“The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. “They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide.”
As usual, the invitees include newly minted Oscar winners,...
The list includes actors, directors, writers, producers, musicians, executives, artist reps, publicists and below-the-liners such as casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, film editors, makeup artists and hairstylists, production designers and sound pros.
“The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. “They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide.”
As usual, the invitees include newly minted Oscar winners,...
- 6/28/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Shayda, the Sundance audience winner from Iranian-Australian director Noora Niasari, will close this year’s Locarno International Film Festival.
Executive produced by Cate Blanchett, Shayda stars Holy Spider actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi. Shayda will screen on the final night of Locarno festival on Saturday, Aug. 12 in what will be its European premiere. Locarno will also screen a second, surprise title that touches on the history of cinema personally selected by Locarno festival president Marco Solari.
Niasari’s powerful debut, drawn from the director’s own life, tells the inspiring story of an Iranian woman’s journey to freedom as she finds refuge in a women’s shelter after immigrating to Australia.
Blanchett is an executive producer of the movie through Dirty Films, the production company she runs alongside Andrew Upton and Coco Francini. She and Ebrahimi will attend Locarno together with Niasari.
On Aug. 12, Blanchett will also moderate a conversation...
Executive produced by Cate Blanchett, Shayda stars Holy Spider actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi. Shayda will screen on the final night of Locarno festival on Saturday, Aug. 12 in what will be its European premiere. Locarno will also screen a second, surprise title that touches on the history of cinema personally selected by Locarno festival president Marco Solari.
Niasari’s powerful debut, drawn from the director’s own life, tells the inspiring story of an Iranian woman’s journey to freedom as she finds refuge in a women’s shelter after immigrating to Australia.
Blanchett is an executive producer of the movie through Dirty Films, the production company she runs alongside Andrew Upton and Coco Francini. She and Ebrahimi will attend Locarno together with Niasari.
On Aug. 12, Blanchett will also moderate a conversation...
- 6/23/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 76th edition of the Locarno Film Festival will close with a screening of the Sundance Competiton pic Shayda attended by the film’s star Zar Amir Ebrahimi (Holy Spider) and Exec Producer Cate Blanchett.
Directed by Iranian-Australian filmmaker Noora Niasari, Shayda, which won the Audience Award at Sundance 2023, will close out the final evening of the Festival alongside a free second screening of a surprise title that touches on the history of cinema and the Locarno Film Festival, chosen by Marco Solari, President of the Locarno Film Festival. This year will be Solari’s final year at the helm.
Blanchett is an exec producer on the pic through Dirty Films, the production company she runs with her husband, Andrew Upton, and Coco Francini. On August 12, the two-time Oscar winner will moderate a discussion between Niasari and Ebrahimi at the festival on the theme of Iranian women and Iranian cinema...
Directed by Iranian-Australian filmmaker Noora Niasari, Shayda, which won the Audience Award at Sundance 2023, will close out the final evening of the Festival alongside a free second screening of a surprise title that touches on the history of cinema and the Locarno Film Festival, chosen by Marco Solari, President of the Locarno Film Festival. This year will be Solari’s final year at the helm.
Blanchett is an exec producer on the pic through Dirty Films, the production company she runs with her husband, Andrew Upton, and Coco Francini. On August 12, the two-time Oscar winner will moderate a discussion between Niasari and Ebrahimi at the festival on the theme of Iranian women and Iranian cinema...
- 6/23/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Film won the Audience Award at Sundance this year.
The Locarno Film Festival is to close with the European premiere of Iranian-Australian director Noora Niasari’s debut film Shayda. Locarno runs from August 2-12.
The film, which won the Audience Award at Sundance 2023, is executive produced by Cate Blanchett through Dirty Films, the production company she runs alongside Andrew Upton and Coco Francini. Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who stars in the film, is the 2022 Cannes Best Actress Winner for Holy Spider. Both will also attend the screening together with director Noora Niasari.
Shayda tells the story of an Iranian woman’s...
The Locarno Film Festival is to close with the European premiere of Iranian-Australian director Noora Niasari’s debut film Shayda. Locarno runs from August 2-12.
The film, which won the Audience Award at Sundance 2023, is executive produced by Cate Blanchett through Dirty Films, the production company she runs alongside Andrew Upton and Coco Francini. Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who stars in the film, is the 2022 Cannes Best Actress Winner for Holy Spider. Both will also attend the screening together with director Noora Niasari.
Shayda tells the story of an Iranian woman’s...
- 6/23/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Cate Blanchett and Zar Amir Ebrahimi are set to attend the Locarno Film Festival’s closing night to promote the European launch of Iranian-Australian director Noora Niasari’s debut film “Shayda.”
Blanchett is an executive producer on the drama, which world premiered at Sundance and scored the Utah festival’s audience award. “Shayda” stars Ebrahimi – who broke out last year as a Cannes prizewinner for her role in “Holy Spider” – as a domestic violence survivor during the ’90s in Australia who demands a free life on her own terms, away from the shadow of her abusive husband.
Variety critic Tomris Laffly in her review praised Ebrahimi’s turn in “Shayda” as a “quietly commanding performance” and underlined the film’s “unmistakably feminine spirit of perseverance, one that runs wild and free in this promising debut.”
“Niasari nimbly and steadily deepens ‘Shayda’ with a filmmaking style that carries traces of a documentarian’s off-the-cuff alertness,...
Blanchett is an executive producer on the drama, which world premiered at Sundance and scored the Utah festival’s audience award. “Shayda” stars Ebrahimi – who broke out last year as a Cannes prizewinner for her role in “Holy Spider” – as a domestic violence survivor during the ’90s in Australia who demands a free life on her own terms, away from the shadow of her abusive husband.
Variety critic Tomris Laffly in her review praised Ebrahimi’s turn in “Shayda” as a “quietly commanding performance” and underlined the film’s “unmistakably feminine spirit of perseverance, one that runs wild and free in this promising debut.”
“Niasari nimbly and steadily deepens ‘Shayda’ with a filmmaking style that carries traces of a documentarian’s off-the-cuff alertness,...
- 6/23/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes, May 20 (Ians) Cate Blanchett kicked off her stilettos on Friday night (local time) as she took the stage at the Cannes Film Festival party hosted by Variety and the Golden Globes, reports ‘Variety’.
Because this is Cannes, where women are mandated to wear heels on the red carpet, shoes have become a political symbol on the French Riviera.
And indeed, in this case, as ‘Variety’ reports, Blanchett went barefoot to make a statement: to stand in solidarity with the women of Iran.
The A-list actor, on hand to present ‘Holy Spider’ star Zahra Amir Ebrahim with a breakthrough artiste’s award, grabbed the trophy and joked: “This is to stab everyone who stands in the way of women’s rights. Up the vajayjay!” ‘Vajayjay’, incidentally, is the jocular expression for ‘vagina’.
In her remarks, an emotional Ebrahimi called attention to her home country Iran, which is “executing innocent people”.
She said,...
Because this is Cannes, where women are mandated to wear heels on the red carpet, shoes have become a political symbol on the French Riviera.
And indeed, in this case, as ‘Variety’ reports, Blanchett went barefoot to make a statement: to stand in solidarity with the women of Iran.
The A-list actor, on hand to present ‘Holy Spider’ star Zahra Amir Ebrahim with a breakthrough artiste’s award, grabbed the trophy and joked: “This is to stab everyone who stands in the way of women’s rights. Up the vajayjay!” ‘Vajayjay’, incidentally, is the jocular expression for ‘vagina’.
In her remarks, an emotional Ebrahimi called attention to her home country Iran, which is “executing innocent people”.
She said,...
- 5/20/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Cate Blanchett kicked off her stilettos on Friday night as she took the stage a Cannes Film Festival party hosted by Variety and the Golden Globes. Because this is Cannes, where women are mandated to wear heels on the red carpet, shoes have become a political symbol on the French Riviera. And indeed, in this case, Blanchett went barefoot to make a statement — to stand in solidarity with the women of Iran. The A-list actor, on hand to present “Holy Spider” star Zar Amir Ebrahimi with a breakthrough artists award, grabbed the trophy and joked, “This is to stab everyone who stands in the way of women’s rights. Up the vajayjay!”
In her remarks, an emotional Ebrahimi called attention to her home country, which is “executing innocent people.” She said, “I always thought being an actress was a paradox: serving the emotions of your own and being a flag or mirror or light.
In her remarks, an emotional Ebrahimi called attention to her home country, which is “executing innocent people.” She said, “I always thought being an actress was a paradox: serving the emotions of your own and being a flag or mirror or light.
- 5/20/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Editor’s Note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Sony Pictures Classics will release “Shayda” in select U.S. theaters on March 1, 2024.
The actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi’s eyes are an arresting contradiction. In “Shayda,” dark circles hang heavy below them, contributing to her world-weary, anxious gaze. But if you look deeper into her uneasy stare and almost translucently hazel irises, there lurks a bit of light, and a sense of hope that hasn’t been completely stamped out.
In Noora Niasari’s debut feature, Ebrahimi is cast as the eponymous Shayda, an Iranian woman living in Australia in 1995, trying to break free of her abusive husband Hossein (Osamah Sami), who’s finishing his medical studies in Brisbane. Her immense exhaustion is visible from the film’s first scene, in which she instructs her six-year-old daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia) what to do if Hossein tries to kidnap her.
The actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi’s eyes are an arresting contradiction. In “Shayda,” dark circles hang heavy below them, contributing to her world-weary, anxious gaze. But if you look deeper into her uneasy stare and almost translucently hazel irises, there lurks a bit of light, and a sense of hope that hasn’t been completely stamped out.
In Noora Niasari’s debut feature, Ebrahimi is cast as the eponymous Shayda, an Iranian woman living in Australia in 1995, trying to break free of her abusive husband Hossein (Osamah Sami), who’s finishing his medical studies in Brisbane. Her immense exhaustion is visible from the film’s first scene, in which she instructs her six-year-old daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia) what to do if Hossein tries to kidnap her.
- 1/24/2023
- by Susannah Gruder
- Indiewire
The Göteborg Film Festival has unveiled the competition titles selected for its 46th edition, which runs from January 27 – February 5. (Scroll down for the full list).
Göteborg is split into four competition strands. The main strand is the Nordic Competition, which features nine films from the Nordic region. The competition’s winner takes home the Dragon Award and a Sek 400 000 cash prize. The rest of the festival comprises the Nordic Documentary Competition, the Ingmar Bergman Competition for first-time filmmakers, and the International Competition.
Among the Nordic highlights is Swedish filmmaker Isabella Carbonell’s thriller Dogborn, starring Swedish rap star Silvana Imam. The pic debuted at Venice last year and follows two homeless twins and their struggle to survive. Hlynur Pálmason’s well-received period piece Godland also screens in competition. Set in the late 19th Century, the drama revolves around a young Danish priest who travels to a remote part of...
Göteborg is split into four competition strands. The main strand is the Nordic Competition, which features nine films from the Nordic region. The competition’s winner takes home the Dragon Award and a Sek 400 000 cash prize. The rest of the festival comprises the Nordic Documentary Competition, the Ingmar Bergman Competition for first-time filmmakers, and the International Competition.
Among the Nordic highlights is Swedish filmmaker Isabella Carbonell’s thriller Dogborn, starring Swedish rap star Silvana Imam. The pic debuted at Venice last year and follows two homeless twins and their struggle to survive. Hlynur Pálmason’s well-received period piece Godland also screens in competition. Set in the late 19th Century, the drama revolves around a young Danish priest who travels to a remote part of...
- 1/10/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
With Oscar nomination voting beginning on Jan. 12, it’s not hard to figure out who the favorites are in most categories. (Here’s one rundown.) But for voters who want to look beyond the obvious picks — which should really mean all voters — TheWrap’s awards team would like to suggest a handful of our favorites that deserve a look before casting your ballots.
There are plenty of other deserving candidates out there, too, but here are 14 of our picks.
Emma Thompson, “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” (Searchlight Pictures)
As a widowed teacher seeking fulfillment of a different sort in her retirement years, Thompson deflects any possibility of cliché with her inimitable dexterity as she gives a performance for the ages—supple and moving, easily stacked up next to her many acclaimed roles of the last 30 years. Just because she’s one of the...
There are plenty of other deserving candidates out there, too, but here are 14 of our picks.
Emma Thompson, “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” (Searchlight Pictures)
As a widowed teacher seeking fulfillment of a different sort in her retirement years, Thompson deflects any possibility of cliché with her inimitable dexterity as she gives a performance for the ages—supple and moving, easily stacked up next to her many acclaimed roles of the last 30 years. Just because she’s one of the...
- 1/9/2023
- by TheWrap Staff
- The Wrap
Retraces the life of Reyhaneh Jabbari, who fatally stabbed a man who was trying to rape her.
Dubai-based sales firm Cercamon will handle worldwide sales excluding Germany and France on Seven Winters In Tehran, a feature documentary about women’s rights in Iran voiced by Holy Spider actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi.
Sold by Cercamon’s documentary arm Cercamon Docs, the film will have its world premiere in February when opening Berlinale’s Perspectives on German Cinema section, announced today (Jan 9). German public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk holds the German broadcast rights.
It is the debut feature documentary from German director Steffi Niederzoll,...
Dubai-based sales firm Cercamon will handle worldwide sales excluding Germany and France on Seven Winters In Tehran, a feature documentary about women’s rights in Iran voiced by Holy Spider actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi.
Sold by Cercamon’s documentary arm Cercamon Docs, the film will have its world premiere in February when opening Berlinale’s Perspectives on German Cinema section, announced today (Jan 9). German public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk holds the German broadcast rights.
It is the debut feature documentary from German director Steffi Niederzoll,...
- 1/9/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who won best actress at Cannes for her performance in Ali Abassi’s “Holy Spider” is set to head the jury of the Nordic competition at the Göteborg Film Festival.
Ebrahimi is a celebrated Iranian actor, director, producer and casting director. Her credits include “Bride Price vs. Democracy,” “Teheran Tabu” and Noora Niasari’s film “Shayda” which is set to compete at Sundance. She currently stars in “White Paradise,” a contemporary western directed by Guillaume Renusson which just came out in France.
Ebrahimi will be joined on the jury by actress Sofie Gråbøl, director Antonio Lukich and composer Matti Bye.
“I am incredibly proud to be leading a jury of these impressive artists so that we may not only amplify the stellar work in the festival, but to also draw attention to the atrocities happening every day around us,” said Ebrahimi.
The actor fled from the Iranian...
Ebrahimi is a celebrated Iranian actor, director, producer and casting director. Her credits include “Bride Price vs. Democracy,” “Teheran Tabu” and Noora Niasari’s film “Shayda” which is set to compete at Sundance. She currently stars in “White Paradise,” a contemporary western directed by Guillaume Renusson which just came out in France.
Ebrahimi will be joined on the jury by actress Sofie Gråbøl, director Antonio Lukich and composer Matti Bye.
“I am incredibly proud to be leading a jury of these impressive artists so that we may not only amplify the stellar work in the festival, but to also draw attention to the atrocities happening every day around us,” said Ebrahimi.
The actor fled from the Iranian...
- 1/5/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Iranian actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi, the star of Ali Abbasi’s Oscar contender Holy Spider, will head up the Nordic competition jury at this year’s Goteborg Film Festival.
Ebrahimi, riding high following her star-making performance in Holy Spider, which won her the best actress honor in Cannes last year, will oversee the main competition section at Goteborg, Sweden’s leading film fest.
She’s joined on the 2023 Goteborg jury by Danish actress Sofie Grabol (The Killing), Ukrainian director Antonio Lukich (Luxembourg, Luxembourg) and Swedish film composer Matti Bye (The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared). The jury will pick the best films from this year’s festival from the Nordic regions. The nine films in the 2023 Nordic Competition lineup will be announced Jan. 10.
In Holy Spider, Ebrahimi plays an Iranian journalist trying to find a serial killer who has been targeting sex workers in Iran’s holy city of Mashhad.
Ebrahimi, riding high following her star-making performance in Holy Spider, which won her the best actress honor in Cannes last year, will oversee the main competition section at Goteborg, Sweden’s leading film fest.
She’s joined on the 2023 Goteborg jury by Danish actress Sofie Grabol (The Killing), Ukrainian director Antonio Lukich (Luxembourg, Luxembourg) and Swedish film composer Matti Bye (The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared). The jury will pick the best films from this year’s festival from the Nordic regions. The nine films in the 2023 Nordic Competition lineup will be announced Jan. 10.
In Holy Spider, Ebrahimi plays an Iranian journalist trying to find a serial killer who has been targeting sex workers in Iran’s holy city of Mashhad.
- 1/5/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“This is a multi-layered, complex story,” explains writer and director Ali Abbasi while discussing his film “Holy Spider,” Denmark’s entry for Best International Feature at the 95th Academy Awards. “On the superficial level you’re dealing with someone who killed 16 people in a year. The scope of it alone is remarkable and scary, and in a strange way also fascinating. Then there is the whole sociopolitical aspect around it. This being set in Iran in the very religious city of Mashhad. This religious conservatism meets suppressed sexuality. In this holy city, there is widespread prostitution.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
“Holy Spider” is inspired by the true story of Saeed Hanaei (played by Mehdi Bajestani), a serial killer who targets sex workers in Iran. Zar Amir Ebrahimi plays Rahimi, a female journalist facing a misogynistic society as she tries to hunt him down. Ebrahimi won Best Actress at...
“Holy Spider” is inspired by the true story of Saeed Hanaei (played by Mehdi Bajestani), a serial killer who targets sex workers in Iran. Zar Amir Ebrahimi plays Rahimi, a female journalist facing a misogynistic society as she tries to hunt him down. Ebrahimi won Best Actress at...
- 11/9/2022
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
“It feels like justice, and hope, and courage,” reveals “Holy Spider” star Zar Amir-Ebrahimi when asked about her Best Actress win at the Cannes Film Festival in May. “Our work was a message of justice and courage for me and for many others. Not only other actors, but everyone around me. We were very touched.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
“Holy Spider” is inspired by the true story of Saeed Hanaei (played by Mehdi Bajestani), a serial killer who targets sex workers in Iran. Ebrahimi plays Rahimi, a female journalist facing a misogynistic society as she tries to hunt him down. In addition to her own Best Actress triumph, the film was nominated for the prestigious Palme d’Or and is Denmark’s entry for Best International Feature at the 95th Academy Awards.
See dozens of interviews with 2023 awards contenders
Ebrahimi revealed she never even intended to be in the movie.
“Holy Spider” is inspired by the true story of Saeed Hanaei (played by Mehdi Bajestani), a serial killer who targets sex workers in Iran. Ebrahimi plays Rahimi, a female journalist facing a misogynistic society as she tries to hunt him down. In addition to her own Best Actress triumph, the film was nominated for the prestigious Palme d’Or and is Denmark’s entry for Best International Feature at the 95th Academy Awards.
See dozens of interviews with 2023 awards contenders
Ebrahimi revealed she never even intended to be in the movie.
- 11/8/2022
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Any best picture lineup of any industry organization that does not include A24’s “Close,” Utopia’s “Holy Spider” and the doc “Sr.,” which is still seeking a distributor, shall be declared null and void…at least in my mind.
In Telluride, all three films played like gangbusters. “Holy Spider,” which premiered at Cannes and won best actress for Zar Amir Ebrahimi, is looking likely to be Denmark’s submission for international feature. Based on the true story of Saeed Hanaei (played by Mehdi Bajestani), a serial killer who targeted sex workers and killed 16 women from 2000 to 2001 in Mashhad, Iran, the film tells a fictional account of a female journalist (Ebrahimi) who investigates the case.
The suspense thriller evokes “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) and “Dexter,” particularly the show’s sublime fourth, Trinity Killer-focused season. Both lead actors are worthy of Academy attention, and writer and director Ali Abbasi, who helmed the 2018 hit “Border,...
In Telluride, all three films played like gangbusters. “Holy Spider,” which premiered at Cannes and won best actress for Zar Amir Ebrahimi, is looking likely to be Denmark’s submission for international feature. Based on the true story of Saeed Hanaei (played by Mehdi Bajestani), a serial killer who targeted sex workers and killed 16 women from 2000 to 2001 in Mashhad, Iran, the film tells a fictional account of a female journalist (Ebrahimi) who investigates the case.
The suspense thriller evokes “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) and “Dexter,” particularly the show’s sublime fourth, Trinity Killer-focused season. Both lead actors are worthy of Academy attention, and writer and director Ali Abbasi, who helmed the 2018 hit “Border,...
- 9/7/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
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