Iranian director Zahra Amir Ebrahimi and Israeli director Guy Nattiv announced to Reuters on Sunday that the first film directed by an Iranian-Israeli collaboration was filmed in secret to prevent potential interference from Tehran. The film "Tatami" premiered earlier this week at the Venice Film Festival, receiving a standing ovation from the audience. It highlights a world-class judo championship.
The story unfolds over a single day, where an Iranian judo champion, played by American actress Ariyan Mandy who speaks Persian, is ordered to feign an injury to avoid a possible match against an Israeli competitor. Amir Ebrahimi and Nattiv filmed the movie in Georgia, a country that Iranians can enter easily. Each stayed in a different hotel and communicated in English, without revealing that they were making a politically charged film.
Zahra, who is also an award-winning actress, said, "I know that many Iranians are there, so we worked to maintain calm and secrecy." She portrayed the role of a terrified Iranian coach. Nattiv stated, "We were hiding. We know it's a dangerous thing."
Nattiv's film "Golda" also premiered at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year. Iran does not recognize the existence of Israel and has barred its athletes from competing against Israeli athletes.
In an incident that inspired the creators of "Tatami," the International Judo Federation suspended Iran for four years in 2021 for pressuring one of its athletes not to face an Israeli player.
