Tatami | |
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Directed by | |
Screenplay by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Todd Martin |
Edited by | Yuval Orr |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | XYZ Films (US) |
Release date |
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Running time | 105 minutes [1] |
Countries |
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Languages | Persian, English |
Tatami is a 2023 film directed by Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahimi, from a screenplay by Nattiv and Elham Erfani. It stars Arienne Mandi, Ebrahimi, Jaime Ray Newman, Ash Goldeh and Sina Parvaneh.
It had its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2023, receiving positive reviews from the critics and audience.
The film follows Iranian female judoka Leila (Arienne Mandi) and her coach Maryam (Zar Amir Ebrahimi), who travel to the Judo World Championship, intent on bringing home Iran’s first gold medal. This includes a possible encounter with an Israeli athlete, something that the Mullah regime prohibits. Midway through the competition, Leila and her coach receive repeated threats from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and drop out of the tournament. With her own and her family’s freedom at stake, Leila faces a difficult choice: feign injury and comply with the Iranian regime as Maryam implores her to do, or defy them both and fight on, for the gold. [2]
With Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahimi as co-directors, the project marks the first feature film to be co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker. [3] [4] It is produced by Adi Ezroni and Mandy Tagger Brockey, alongside Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman from New Native Pictures. [5]
WestEnd Films acquired international rights in February 2023. [6] Other production companies involved in the project include White Lodge Productions, Maven Pictures, Tale Runners and Sarke Studios. [7]
In February 2023 the cast was revealed to include Arienne Mandi and Amir Ebrahimi in the lead roles, with appearances by Jaime Ray Newman, Nadine Marshall and Mehdi Bajestani. [8]
In February 2023 the film was revealed by the Hollywood Reporter to be in post-production. [9] First-look images from the film were released in May 2023. [10]
It had its World premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2023. [11] and its Asian premiere at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival [12] on October 25, 2023. It was also screened in the 19th Zurich Film Festival [13] on October 2, 2023. In February 2024, XYZ Films acquired US distribution rights to the film. [14]
Jaime Ray Newman is an American actress, producer and singer. She is known for starring as Kristina Cassadine in the soap opera General Hospital, Mindy O'Dell in the drama series Veronica Mars, Kat Gardener in the fantasy series Eastwick, Lt. Laura Cadman in the science-fiction series Stargate Atlantis, Tess Fontana in the science-fiction series Eureka, Kat Petrova in the drama-thriller series Red Widow, Sam Gordon in the comedy-drama series Mind Games, Allison Roth in the crime drama series Wicked City, and Sarah Lieberman in the Marvel series The Punisher.
Mehdi Bajestani is an Iranian actor. He is best known for his performance as Saeed Hanaee in the crime thriller Holy Spider (2022), for which he earned a Robert Award nomination, a Bodil Award nomination and a German Film Award nomination.
Saeed Hanaei or Said Hanai was an Iranian serial killer.
The Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM) is an international film festival founded by the Marrakech International Film Festival Foundation in 2001 and held annually in Marrakech, Morocco. The 20th edition is being held from November 24 until December 2, 2023.
Zahra Amir Ebrahimi, known professionally as Zar Amir Ebrahimi, is an Iranian-French actress, producer and 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 Robert Award for Best Actress.
Shirin is a 2008 Iranian drama film directed by Abbas Kiarostami. The film is considered by some critics as a notable twist in the artistic career of Kiarostami.
Mina Khosrovani, known professionally as Mina Kavani, is an Iranian-French actress. She is best known for her role in No Bears (2022), which won the Special Jury Prize at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
Maryam Ebrahimi is a Swedish Iranian journalist, documentary filmmaker, producer and director.
Skin is a 2018 American biographical drama film written and directed by Israeli-born filmmaker Guy Nattiv. The film stars Jamie Bell, Danielle Macdonald, Daniel Henshall, Bill Camp, Louisa Krause, Zoe Colletti, Kylie Rogers, Colbi Gannett, Mike Colter, and Vera Farmiga. The film is inspired by the true story of an American neo-Nazi skinhead named Bryon Widner.
Guy Nattiv is an Israeli film director, screenwriter and producer who lives and works in the United States. His film Skin won an Oscar for best short film at the 91st Academy Awards. As of May 2021, Nattiv and Moshe Mizrahi are the only Israeli directors who have won an Academy award. In 2019, he received IFF Achievement in Film Award at the 33rd Israel Film Festival.
Hava, Maryam, Ayesha is a 2019 Afghan drama film directed by Sahraa Karimi. It was the first independent film shot in Afghanistan with an all-Afghan cast and crew. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and had its first screening in Asia at the Busan International Film Festival.
Golda is a 2023 biographical drama film directed by Guy Nattiv and written by Nicholas Martin. The film depicts actions of Golda Meir, the 4th Prime Minister of Israel, during the Yom Kippur War. It stars Helen Mirren, Camille Cottin and Liev Schreiber.
Arienne Mandi is an American actress best known for playing the lead character Dani Núñez in The L Word: Generation Q. Francesca "franki" Murray in Love, Classified (2022). She has played minor roles in Hawaii Five-0, NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Agent X, NCIS: Los Angeles. She will be playing the lead character, an Iranian judoka "Leila Hosseini" in the upcoming political-thriller "Tatami"
Holy Spider is a 2022 Persian-language crime thriller film co-produced, co-written and directed by Ali Abbasi, starring Mehdi Bajestani and Zar Amir Ebrahimi. Based on the true story of Saeed Hanaei, a serial killer who targeted street prostitutes and killed 16 women from 2000 to 2001 in Mashhad, Iran, the film depicts a fictional female journalist investigating a serial killer.
Beyond the Wall is a 2022 Iranian drama film written and directed by Vahid Jalilvand, and produced by Ali Jalilvand. The film stars Navid Mohammadzadeh, Diana Habibi and Amir Aghaei. Beyond the Wall had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on 8 September 2022.
Shayda is a 2023 Australian drama film written, directed and co-produced by Noora Niasari. The film stars Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Osamah Sami, Mojean Aria, Jillian Nguyen, Rina Mousavi, Selina Zahednia, and Leah Purcell. The story follows an Iranian immigrant woman in Australia who is raising her young daughter as the two live in a women's shelter.
The Persian Version is a 2023 American comedy drama film directed and written by Maryam Keshavarz. The film stars Layla Mohammadi, Niousha Noor, Bijan Daneshmand, Bella Warda, and Tom Byrne. It follows the struggles of a young Iranian-American woman who is often at odds with her family, particularly with her mother.
The 36th European Film Awards, presented by the European Film Academy to recognize achievements in European filmmaking, took place at Arena Berlin in Berlin on 9 December 2023. It was the twenty-second time that the awards ceremony took place in Germany.
The 36th Tokyo International Film Festival is film festival that took place from October 23 to November 1, 2023. German filmmaker Wim Wenders served as jury president.
Noora Niasari is an Iranian-Australian film director based in Australia.
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