‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’ by director Eran Riklis wins top prizes at Rome film festival

Reading Lolita in Tehran, the latest film by Israeli director Eran Riklis, won two prizes at the Rome Film Festival earlier this week.

The movie is an adaptation of Azar Nafisi’s memoir of the same name about teaching literature considered subversive by the Islamic Republic of Iran to women in her apartment. It won a Special Jury Prize for its cast in the Progressive Cinema Competition, as well as the Audience Award, a coveted honor because it is a harbinger of commercial success.

Riklis is one of Israel’s leading directors, known for such classic and popular films as The Syrian Bride, Lemon Tree, and A Borrowed Identity.

Reading Lolita in Tehran stars several acclaimed Iranian actresses, among them Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who co-directed Tatami with Guy Nattiv and won the Best Actress Award at Cannes for Holy Spider; Golshifteh Farahani, who was in Paterson and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales; and Mina Kavani, known for Red Rose and No Bears.

Defying the regime

Any film about Iranian women defying the regime, in this case by studying literature, takes on added relevance as Iranian women continue to protest the restrictive hijab laws and other rules, which sparked the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests that continue to this day.

The collaboration between an Israeli director and an Iranian cast is also meaningful because Iran has recently carried out missile attacks against Israel, a move that the Iranian dissident community opposes.

Riklis said, “As a nation, we are going through such a turbulent and painful time, and Israeli cinema is struggling with increasing isolation in the world. And here is some happy news – both wonderful screenings in front of hundreds of viewers in Rome and the excitement of winning two awards, not something that is taken for granted these days.

“I am particularly excited about the audience favorite award, which reinforces the feeling that this is a film for a wide audience regardless of who they are, that touches on issues that concern all of humanity, not just our region.”

The movie will be shown at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia in November.