Reading Lolita in Tehran
Eran Riklis, Israel and Italy, 2024, 1h48m, Toronto premiere
Based on a novel of the same title by Azar Nafisi. With Golshifteh Farahani, Zar Amir-Ebrahimi
In Farsi and English, with English subtitles, Nominated, Best Film, Rome FF 2025; nominated, Best Film, Tallin FF 2025; Nominated, Best Director, Miami FF 2025
Thursday 6 November 2025 – 7:00 PM
Innis Town Hall Theatre
2 Sussex Avenue Toronto, ON M5S 1J5
Azar Nafisi, a former professor at Tehran University, secretly gathers seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. As fundamentalists seize control, the women
remove their veils, speak about their intimate hopes, loves, and disappointments, their femininity, and their search for a place in an increasingly oppressive society. By reading Lolita in Tehran, they
celebrate the liberating power of literature in revolutionary Iran and form their own future.
Eran Riklis
Eran Riklis is a familiar face to the patrons of the Diaspora FF, with a few of his films screened earlier. Born in Jerusalem (1954) and raised in Canada, USA, and Brazil, he studied cinema at Tel Aviv University and the National Film and TV School in Beaconsfield, UK. His first film, Cup Final (1991), was screened at the Venice and Berlin Film Festivals. The Syrian Bride (2004) brought him global recognition. His other films include Lemon Tree (2008), The Human Resources Manager (2010), Playoff (2011), Dancing Arabs (2014), and Shelter (2017), among others.
