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08.09.2023 - 18:07 / deadline.com
With Tatami, Golda helmer Guy Nattiv and Holy Spider star Zar Amir have crafted what’s billed as the first feature co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian. The film, which bowed in the Horizons section here in Venice, is a sports drama with stakes that are far higher than winning or losing a match.
Shot in Tbilisi, Georgia, essentially equidistant from the filmmakers’ respective home countries, this was a risky proposition for both. But also one they couldn’t shy away from.
Nattiv conceived of the story, but, as he says in the Q&A below, couldn’t see himself making it alone. After casting Amir, who lives in Paris, and knowing she was preparing to direct her next film, he invited her to share helming duties, “I’m not Iranian and I didn’t want to tell this story alone,” he told Deadline.
The story takes place during the Judo World Championships, when Iranian Leila and her coach Maryam receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and lose, lest she be branded a traitor of the state. With her own and her family’s freedom at stake, Leila is faced with an impossible choice: comply with the Iranian regime or fight on for the gold.
Below, Nattiv and Amir discuss the genesis of the project and how they collaborated to make this first of a kind film. (This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.)
DEADLINE: How did you come guys come together? And Guy, what made you want to share directing with Zar?
ZAR AMIR: In a very natural way. I got a casting offer through my German agent, and a few months after, Guy offered it to me. It was three months before Cannes (when I got the call) and Guy had this time to watch Holy Spider too. I think that was the main reason, Guy?
GUY NATTIV: Also,
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