To Avoid Suspicion, An Israeli Iranian Movie Was Filmed In Secret:
A movie that got a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival this past weekend had to be made in secret. Tatami is the initial film that was made through Iranian as well as Israeli directors together.
It had to be produced in secret to keep Tehran from getting in the way. The tension-filled movie, which was directed by Iranian-Frenchman Zar Amir Ebrahimi as well as Israeli Guy Nattiv, is about a world judo tournament.
Amir Ebrahimi as well as Nattiv stayed within different places, spoke English in public, and made sure no one knew they were making a film with so much political content.
During just one day of competition, it follows an Iranian judo champion, played by US actor Arienne Mandi who speaks Farsi, as she is told to fake an injury so she doesn’t have to fight an Israeli rival.
“I knew there were a lot of Iranians there, so we tried to keep it quiet and a secret,” said Amir Ebrahimi, who additionally stars within the movie as the judoka’s increasingly scared teacher.
Nattiv Said, “We Were Undercover, And We Knew It Was A Risky Thing”:
“We were playing a part. “We knew it was dangerous,” said Nattiv, whose last movie, “Golda,” had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival this year. Iran doesn’t think Israel has a right to exist, so its athletes aren’t allowed to compete against Israelis.
In 2021, the International Judo Federation banned Iran for four years because it told a single of its fighters not to face an Israeli. This event was the inspiration for the movie “Tatami.”
Amir Ebrahimi, who won the award for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival within 2022 for her role in Holy Spider, left Iran in 2008 because a private video of her had been leaked and she was afraid of going to jail or getting whipped.
The Movie Was Shot Within Black And White And In A 4:3 Format, Just Like Old TV Shows:
She said that she had to give the project a lot of thought and think about the many possible outcomes before she could accept Nattiv’s offer for a movie.
“What I’ve learned regarding the Iranian government is that as long to be you are scared, they can arrest you, kill you, and cause trouble around you.
But if you don’t worry about it, everything will be fine,” Amir Ebrahimi tells Reuters. The movie was shot in black-and-white and in a 4:3 ratio, just like old TV shows.
“These women live in a world of black and white. Nothing has a color. The cramped world they inhabit is the box. They only want to break that one thing. Nattiv said, “They want to be free.”
Nattiv Said That He Had Helped Amir Ebrahimi Go To Israel In Secret:
Children in Iran were taught that Israel was an unstoppable threat to be afraid of. Amir Ebrahimi said that what Nattiv said was taking place in his own country, where Iran was seen as a threat to life itself.
Nattiv and Amir Ebrahimi both agree that children in Iran and Israel were taught to fear the other country as a permanent enemy and a threat to their very existence. Nattiv said at Venice that he had helped Amir Ebrahimi sneak into Israel, which is something that no one from Tehran is allowed to do.
“Tatami” is said to be the debut film to be co-directed by an Iranian as well as an Israeli director. It has a tight, tense plot that’s part sports movie, part political thriller, and both parts are well done.
The Success Of Leila Was A Problem For The Government Of Iran:
Guy Nattiv and “Holy Spider” star Zar Amir Ebrahimi directed the movie, which was written by Nattiv and Elham Erfani. It takes place during the Judo World Championships within Tbilisi, Georgia, where Iranian judoka Leila starts to do better than anyone expected, except maybe her coach Maryam.
The Iranian government doesn’t like Leila’s success because it means she might have to meet an Israeli fighter during the final.
The government thinks it would be embarrassing for Iran to lose to Israel, so it chooses to make sure this can’t happen by telling Leila to either drop out of the competition under a false excuse or throw a less highly charged match before it gets to that point.
This order comes first in the form of a short, harsh phone call from Leila’s teacher, Maryam. As Leila continues to avoid this pressure and do well in the tournament, Leila’s family members in Iran start to get threats in person.
Even If The Terrible Situation Wasn’t There, The Movie Would Still Work:
Nattiv as well as Amir Ebrahimi do a great job of showing how complicated situations based on issues of political and social equity can be used to make straightforwardly exciting fantasy films.
Even if Leila and Maryam weren’t in such a bad situation, the movie would still work well as a sports movie on its own.
Amir Ebrahimi does a great job of showing how torn up the older woman is due to her own past decisions and how that makes her react in a complicated way. This is a time-honored plot device in this type of movie.
Maryam Wants What’s Best For The Young Firecracker, But She Has To Weigh The Young Man’s Career Prospects Against The Very Real Danger:
Maryam wants the ideal situation for the young firecracker, whose job possibilities she has to weigh in opposition to the very real danger that both women as well as their loved ones face, but it’s not clear what their best options are.
The question of whether or not to bail out of the big final battle hasn’t been made up just to make the story more exciting. Instead, the confusion is at the heart of major themes about how far simple heroism can go when one or two people are up against a system.
“Tatami” could reach people who wouldn’t normally watch a black-and-white, part-English, part-Farsi story. It could attract people outside of the regular audience for these kinds of movies, and it seems like it will be a big hit at film festivals.
