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TCJFF Screening: Tatami
Programmer’s Pick! “Tatami gripped me not just as a sports drama, but as a story about courage, dignity, and resistance. Directed by Israeli filmmaker Guy Nattiv and French-Iranian actress/director Zar Amir Ebrahimi, the film dramatizes the struggle of an Iranian judoka forced to choose between loyalty to her country and her right to compete on her own terms. Shot in haunting black-and-white, it echoes classics like Raging Bull while breaking new ground by centering women in a man’s world. At its core, Tatami is about standing up to oppression — a theme that resonates far beyond the judo mat and feels especially urgent today.” – Walter Elias, Senior Curator
A surprising collaboration between Israeli Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guy Nattiv (Golda) and Iranian actress-turned-director Zar Amir Ebrahimi (star of Holy Spider), Tatami delivers a daring takedown of state oppression via the world of competitive judo. Set during one intense day at a World Championship event in Tbilisi, Georgia (where it was secretly filmed), the film follows rising Iranian judo fighter Leila and her coach Maryam, who travel to the championship intent on bringing home Iran’s first gold medal. Just as Leila is nearing victory, a chilling ultimatum arrives from the Islamic Republic declaring she must fake an injury and lose to avoid facing an Israeli opponent, or be branded a traitor to her country. With her freedom—and her family’s safety—on the line, Leila confronts an agonizing choice: follow her government’s orders, or fight for her dream.
Premiering to critical acclaim at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Freedom of Expression Award, Tatami is notable for being the first film ever co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian filmmaker, breaking ground both onscreen and off. The taut, single-day narrative unfolds against stark black-and-white cinematography and in Academy ratio, vividly reflecting the constraints that bind the women at its core—as athletes, as Iranians, and as individuals fighting for agency. In a homage to Raging Bull, the film’s intense fight sequences bring visceral focus to Leila’s struggle. Yet, her greatest battle is waged between the matches, where Leila faces a far more harrowing conflict.
Filmed during the protests in Iran in 2022, Tatami resonates as both a thrilling sports drama and a searing political statement on the resilience and bravery of Iranian women seeking self-determination.
COST:
General Admission: $16
Senior Admission (65+): $14
Student Admission: $10
Co-sponsored by the Israel Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.