TATAMI follows Iranian female judoka Leila (Arienne Mandi) and her coach 
Maryam (Zar Amir), who travel to the World 
Judo Championships, intent on bringing home Iran’s first gold medal. Midway through the Championships, they receive a chilling ultimatum from the Islamic Republic: Leila must fake an injury and lose, or be branded a traitor. With her own safety and her family’s freedom on the line, Leila faces an impossible 
choice: submit to the Iranian regime, as her coach Maryam implores her to do, or fight on for the gold. TATAMI is the first feature film to be co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker. Co-directed by Guy Nattiv (Academy Award-Winner for Skin) and Zar Amir (Cannes Film Festival Best 
Actress-Winner for Holy Spider), join us to talk about their collaboration behind and in front of the camera, ratcheting up the razor-edge relationship between the Leila and Maryam, providing Arienne Mandi with the support that helped her galvanizing and spectacular performance, as well as pulling together all the elements of a compelling sports drama with dire consequences of heavy handed international menace hanging over lives of their families.
For more go to: xyzfilms.com/tatami
Opening in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Royal on June 20
Opening at the Laemmle Glendale on June 27
Venice Film Festival – World Premiere
Tokyo Film Festival – Best Actress & Special Jury Award
Munich Film Festival – Best Film
Camerimage Film Festival – Best Debut Cinematography & Audience Award
About the filmmaker – Co-director, Co-writer Guy Nattiv is best known for directing, co-writing and producing SKIN, where he won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short. Guy went on to write and direct the feature version, also titled SKIN, which starred Jamie Bell and won the Fipresci Critics Prize at the Toronto Film Festival in 2019. The film was acquired by A24. Most recently he co-directed and co-wrote TATAMI, a historic collaboration between Israeli and Iranian filmmakers, which had its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2023 to significant acclaim. The film won two prizes at the Tokyo Film Festival, Best Film at the Munich Festival, and two prizes at Camerimage in Poland. Guy is set next to direct HARMONIA, based on the true story of his grandmother’s involvement with an all-women’s cult. It stars Carrie Coon, Bella Ramsey and Lily James, and will be shot summer 2025. Guy lives in Los Angeles where he runs New Native Pictures with his wife and partner, Jaime Ray Newman.
About the filmmaker – Co-director, and co-lead actor (Maryam Ghanbari) Zar Amir is an Iranian-French actress, producer, and director. She rose to international prominence for her performance as journalist Arezoo Rahimi in the crime thriller HOLY SPIDER (2022), for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and Robert Award for Best Actress, among other honors. In 2023, she starred in SHAYDA, which won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. Amir also stars in READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN (2025), which won both the Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize at the Rome International Film Festival. Her latest feature, TATAMI, which she both stars in and co-directed alongside Guy Nattiv, premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, where it received the Brian Award. The film also received a Special Jury Prize at the Tokyo Film Festival, where Amir also earned the Best Actress award. Amir founded her production company, Alambic Productions, in 2019. Their latest project, LILI, a video game made in collaboration with iNK Stories and the Royal Shakespeare Company, will premiere in competition as part of the 2025 Festival de Cannes Immersive lineup. The video game is a neo-noir reimagining of Lady Macbeth’s story set in contemporary Iran, with Amir playing the titular Lili.
About the lead actor – Arienne Mandi (Leila Hosseini) is an American actress with Latin and Middle Eastern roots. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she is well recognized for her portrayal of Leila in “Tatami,” an Iranian judoka who fights literally and figuratively for her right to freedom. The film is directed by Oscar winner Guy Nattiv & Zar Amir Ebrahimi. After an award winning debut at the Venice Film Festival, the film received raves internationally & opens in the states this summer. Arienne also portrays Noor, a series regular on Netflix blockbuster action thriller “The Night Agent.” Next up you can catch her opposite Jon Hamm in S2 of Apple TV+ “Your Friends & Neighbors.”
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“Despite its urgent political engagement, “Tatami” never forgets to be a gripping watch.” – Catherine Bray, Variety
“Vibrantly helmed and performed, with co-director and Cannes best actress winner Zar Amir Ebrahimi playing one of the leads, the film is a win both behind and in front of the camera.” – Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter
“At its heart, Tatami is about the willingness to stand up to coercion no matter the cost, to break cyclical patterns of control in which dreams have been and continue to be savagely broken.” – Paul Risker, PopMatters
“A unique collaboration between an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker, it transforms an initially straightforward scenario into an increasingly tense, involving drama.” – Allan Hunter, Screen International
“This sports film has the feel of a political thriller. Women face real danger by bucking oppression in a country run by zealots. Should be seen by all who do not understand why the separation of Church and State is vital for humankind” – April Neale, AWFJ.org
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