Reading Lolita in Tehran

Set in Tehran during a period of religious extremism and censorship, this drama follows Azar Nafisi, a university professor who secretly gathers a small group of female students. Together, they read banned Western literary classics to find liberation and explore their own hopes and loves while facing an oppressive society and the threats of fundamentalism.

The film was directed by Eran Riklis, who also co-wrote the screenplay and served as a producer. This production follows his previous work on Lemon Tree (2008) and Spider in the Web (2019). The cast features Golshifteh Farahani in the lead role of Azar Nafisi, alongside Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Mina Kavani, Bahar Beihaghi, Isabella Nefar, and Raha Rahbari.

A joint production between the United Kingdom, Israel, and Italy, the film was supported by companies including RAI Cinema and Minerva Pictures Group. It earned 1 million USD at the worldwide box office. Audiences have responded positively to the movie, which holds a rating of 7.3/10 on TMDB based on 76 votes.