Join us on April 27th for the Center's screening of Tatami, the first feature film co-directed by Iranian & Israeli filmmakers. A riveting tale of freedom vs. oppression set in a judo arena, Tatami is a powerful and gripping sports thriller.
Monday, April 27, 20267:00 PM - 9:00 PMRoyce Hall, Room 314
This screening will be followed by a conversation over Zoom with the film's co-director Guy Nattiv.
After registering, you will be emailed an RSVP confirmation. If you do not receive your email confirmation, please check your spam or junk mail folders.
Organized by the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies.
About the Film
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 shows how governments can get in the way of recognizing a common humanity beyond borders." –PJ Grisar, The Forward
Watch the Trailer
Directed by: Guy Nattiv (Golda; Academy Award-Winner for Skin) & Zar Amir Ebrahimi (2022 Cannes Film Festival Best Actress-Winner for Holy Spider) Written by: Guy Nattiv, Elham Erfani Produced by: Guy Nattiv, Jaime Ray Newman, Mandy Tagger, Keshet Studios Starring: Arienne Mandi, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Jaime Ray Newman, Ash Goldeh
About the Speakers
Guy Nattiv (Co-Director, Co-Writer) 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 lives in Los Angeles, where he runs New Native Pictures with his wife and partner, Jaime Ray Newman.
Dr. Benjamin Radd (moderator) is a Political Scientist and Senior Fellow at the Burkle Center for International Relations at the UCLA International Institute. He also a Lecturer in Law at UCLA Law School. He is an expert on US foreign policy and law and government of the Middle East, with an emphasis on Iran. Dr. Radd makes frequent media appearances, including on CNN, BBC, NBC, NPR, CBS, FOX, and The Los Angeles Times.
DISCLAIMER: The views or opinions of our guest speakers and the content of their presentations do not necessarily reflect the views of the UCLA Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Hosting speakers does not constitute an endorsement of the speaker's views or opinions.
Sponsor(s): Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies