Italy Celebrates International Women’s Day by Bowing Iranian-Israeli Thriller ‘Tatami’ Alongside Rerelease of Box Office Hit ‘There’s Still Tomorrow’
variety.comNick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy, where debate over violence against women is currently raging, is celebrating International Women’s Day by becoming the first country to theatrically release “Tatami,” a female empowerment thriller about an Iranian judo fighter that made a splash in Venice and marks the first collaboration by Iranian and Israeli filmmakers.
Italy’s BIM Distribuzione is bowing “Tatami” – which is co-helmed by Iranian actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi (“Holy Spider) and Israeli director Guy Nattiv – on 90 local movie screens on Friday as an International Women’s Day special preview at a discounted €3.50 ($3.80) ticket price.
The film will officially release locally on April 4. “Tatami” reconstructs the tale of a young judo champion named Leila, played by Arienne Mandi, who Iranian authorities wanted to force to withdraw from a competition in order to keep her from competing against an Israeli athlete.
In an interview with Variety, Ebrahimi, who also stars, said that depicting the characters’ desperate plight on and off the mat took a toll on both her and Mandi. “It was intense,” she said. “But for women in Iran, that’s our life: every day is a fight.” According to a new United Nations report issued on Friday, Iran is responsible for the “physical violence” that led to the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 and sparked nationwide protests against the country’s mandatory headscarf.
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