Reading Lolita in Tehran

Azar Nafisi is a young Iranian professor who tries to stop the wave of repression from the Islamic Republic by secretly gathering seven of her students at her home to read the banned classic Western works such as Jane Austen or Vladimir Nabokov, the author of 'Lolita'.

The story takes place during the Iranian revolution of 1980, and as the young women learn while reading more of these works, they will discover new ways to view their own lives and everything that is being taken from them at the same time that their freedom is stripped away after it is authorized that women can be arrested for not wearing the hijab.

A film directed by Eran Riklis (a director and producer known for 'The Lemon Tree' or 'Zaytoun') and written by Marjorie David, based on the novel by Azar Nafisi, offers a reflection on the condition of women in countries like Iran where they are repressed under fundamentalist Islamic regimes.

This film stars Golshifteh Farahani (known for titles like 'Extraction' or for her role as Shansa in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge') as the professor Azar Nafisi, alongside actresses who play the students: Zar Amir Ebrahimi as Sanaz, Mina Kavani as Nassrin, and Catayoune Ahmadi as Mahtab.