Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award winner Zar Amir Ebrahim stars in Les Nuits de Mashhad, a moving dark thriller based on a terrifying true story. I met you.
A shocking thriller from the 75th Cannes Film Festival, Nights of Mashhad (or The Holy Spider) hits theaters today. New movieAli AbbasA Swedish director of Iranian origin who won the Un Certain Regard prize four years ago borderAwarded at the time of this publication.
Its main actress Zar Amir Ibrahim She won the Best Actress Award for her powerful performance. He plays Rahim, a journalist torn between his commitments and his beliefs, who investigates Said Hanai, a war veteran who feels he is on a divine mission to “cleanse the city of Mashhad of its sin” by killing prostitutes.
The famous author of a series of femicides, nicknamed the Spider, that shook public opinion in the holy city of Mashhad, Ali Abbasi questions the misogyny of Iranian society in all its complexity in the story of the Nights of Mashhad. , misogyny was experienced by actor Zar Amir Ebrahim, who we met at Cannes before he emotionally won the prize for this role, which he carefully prepared with his knowledge and research.
Zar Amir Ebrahim, a fighter in a military thriller
“Actually, I am not attracted to the world of journalists. I have worked especially with the BBC and I have friends who are journalists in Iran, France, all over the world. I know their difficulties and challenges. The work I contacted at that time with my friends in Iran, some of whom have since fled social and political because of issues.
Their situation was more difficult than I thought. Women journalists suffer abuse, harassment, in Iran and other countries. I’ve also watched videos of journalists talking about their experiences with colleagues, editors, but also about their subjects, who are sometimes political or famous personalities.
I thought the world of journalism was somewhat immune to these misogynistic issues, but I was surprised to find that this environment was no exception. And I needed an engine to build my character who fights for truth and justice. I needed to know why he was going to Mashhad, why he was putting himself in danger, why he was exposing himself to the killer.”
To bring even more depth to his character, Zar also used his more serious personal experiences, as the actor was forced to leave Iran because of a sex case that not only put him in great danger – he was subject to social ostracism and threatened with lashes – but also destroyed his career in Iran.
Films that he had made at that time and that were to be released were brought back with other actors instead of him. He was also banned from acting in new films or appearing on television. He had no choice but to emigrate.
“I had a bit of a strange life in Iran. What made me go to Iran was still a serious story. It’s a very special story. I had this experience of being insulted, insulted. I added a little bit of these personal moments of my life. In my interpretation, for example, confrontation with a member of the government or colleagues Reaction, the latter were afraid of a scandal, they don’t want to work with you anymore and they don’t want to be involved in such a story. Which can create problems for the government.”
The spider case, which lasted for a year and which is told in Mashhad Nights, Zar knows this well. He was still in Iran at the time and remembers the climate of fear there. Not only because of this investigation, but also because of other similar cases.
“There was another serial killer, rapist and murderer of women in Tehran. These two incidents created an atmosphere of terror for women. The Spider case created a psychosis, there were sixteen victims. We wondered how he couldn’t be. Arrested before, we wondered if he was related to the authorities, it was scary, I remember being afraid to leave the house, to go out late. Every passing car could hide the killer.”
With his experience, Zar brings great sensitivity and authenticity to his character. The actor was originally not supposed to play this role as he was working on a play with director Ali Abbasi. Eventually he asked to take the role. And even if they couldn’t shoot in Iran, authenticity and attention to detail were key words.
“I started working with him as a casting director, and then as a producer for four years. We had an intensive pre-production period in Turkey. In the end, we did not have the opportunity to shoot in Turkey, so we went to Jordan. Filming. There is a bit like Iran, I am glad that the film is successful in terms of sets and costumes, the whole team Thanks to high standards.
Ali wanted to shoot in Iran. He tried, but he could only do it if he agreed with the censors. Sometimes I say to myself, it is better not to have permission to film there, because it would lose a lot of things and hurt the business. When he’s so honest about what he wants to say. It would be incredible to ask him to remove a scene from his film. I can’t even imagine Ali under the conditions imposed by Iran. And there is no censorship.”
At the Cannes Film Festival, Les Nuits de Mashhad impressed and sensationalized the jury headed by Vincent Lyndon, who awarded Zar Amir Ebrahim with the Distinguished Performance Award for the unreleased film, the screening of which marked his actor: “The composer added wonder. When I saw the film in this big and beautiful hall of the Palais des Festivals, I was captivated by both the film and the music. From the credits we enter the film and you. They are never separated from it. It was an unforgettable experience.”
Interview by Megan Choquet in Cannes, May 23, 2022.
Source: allocine
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