READING LOLITA IN TEHERAN

Eran Riklis, Italy / Israel, 2024, 107 min., feature film, Farsi with English subtitles

In the mid-1990s, literature professor Azar Nafisi secretly invites her students to a reading circle in Tehran. While the morality police and fundamentalists dictate everyday life, Austen, Fitzgerald, and Nabokov become companions of inner freedom and a space of security in the middle of Nafisi’s living room. The film tells of love for one’s homeland and the chains of the regime, of the dream of revolution that turns into oppression—and of the safe space that literature opens up. Nafisi’s living room becomes a place of resistance where women are allowed to dream, love, and hope. A powerful drama about self-determination, intellect, and the courage to defend intellectual freedom—even if the price is exclusion, exile, and deep inner conflict.
Eran Riklis (director)
I was born in Jerusalem (1954), raised in Montreal, New York, New Haven, Rio de Janeiro and Beer Sheba (Google it…). In the film world since the age of 13 and more seriously after at 21 I went to study cinema at Tel Aviv U and then at the National Film School in Beaconsfield, England. Randle McMurphy (One flew over the cuckoo’s nest) was always my moral compass, enhanced by Jean Renoir, Kurosawa, Antonioni, Tarkovsky and many other fine people. My first film – ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE DAMASCUS – was a declaration, followed by CUP FINAL (Venice 1991 and Berlin 1 992) which took my attempt to say something meaningful a step further. ZOHAR (1993) was a major domestic hit and after some years in the world of television drama series I made VULCAN JUNCTION (1999), my tribute to my sort of lost generation. 2001 brought TEMPTATION – a made for TV film and in 2002 I created THE TRUCK, a 13 part drama series I was very passionate about. 2004 brought about another international breakthrough – THE SYRIAN BRIDE – winning numerous awards including Locarno’s audience award. In 2008 LEMON TREE was loved around the world (and won the audience award in Berlin) and I followed with my Ophir Awards winner (and Locarno again) THE HUMAN RESO URCES MANAGER (2010). Busy years with PLAYOFF (2011) – an emotional look at Germany, ZAYTOUN (2012) – an emotional look at war and friendship (Toronto, London), and DANCING ARABS (2014) touching yet again sensitive issues in a fragile world (Telluride, Locarno). 2017 brought SHELTER, my first encounter with Golshifteh Farahani and 2019 was the year of Spider in the Web, starring Ben Kingsley. The Covid years were spent developing the series (soon to go into production) THE ABDUCTION OF YOSSELE SCHUMACHER and putting together READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN – a task that took dedication, passion and a strong and inspiring vision. Married to Dina (a film director too) and proud father of Tammy (a devoted journalist) and Yonatan (jazz pianist and film composer). I believe in honesty, truth, respect, I believe in love. I hope my films convey that to people around the world and will continue to do so as long as possible.
Tickets: Sat, Nov. 1, 11:30 p.m.
Berlin premiere
LOLITA READING IN TEHRAN celebrated its world premiere at the Rome Film Fest and was also shown at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, and the Leipzig Film Art Fair. At the Rome Film Fest, the film received the Audience Award, the Special Jury Prize for Female Casting, and a nomination for the Progressive Cinema Best Film Award; at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, it was nominated for Best Film.

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