The film follows Iranian female judoka Leila (Arienne Mandi) and her coach Maryam (Zar Amir Ebrahimi), who travel to the World Judo Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, intent on bringing home Iran’s first gold medal. This includes a possible encounter with an Israeli athlete, something that the Mullah regime prohibits. Midway through the competition, Leila and her coach receive repeated threats from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and drop out of the tournament. With her own and her family’s freedom at stake, Leila faces a difficult choice: feign injury and comply with the Iranian regime as Maryam implores her to do, or defy them both and fight on, for the gold.[2]
Although Maryam urges Leila to feign an injury and withdraw, Leila remains determined to compete. This leads to an altercation between them, which officials of the World Judo Association notice. An exasperated Leila bangs her head against a bathroom mirror leading to a gash on her forehead. As Leila continues competing, the Iranian authorities between retaliating against her family, attempting to arrest her husband and coercing her father into sending her a video message urging her to withdraw. World Judo Association officials interview Leila and confirm that she is being threatened, but Leila cannot think of anything they can do to help her. Leila eventually loses in a match with a Georgian judoka. Officials in the Iranian tournament delegation then attempt to force Maryam into a car and back to Iran, but Maryam runs away. Leila, her family, and Maryam obtain asylum in France.
With Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahimi as co-directors, the project marks the first feature film to be co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker.[3][4]Tatami is produced for Keshet Studios by Adi Ezroni and Mandy Tagger Brockey, alongside Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman from New Native Pictures.[5]
WestEnd Films acquired international rights in February 2023.[6] Other production companies involved in the project include White Lodge Productions, Maven Pictures, Tale Runners and Sarke Studios.[7]
Casting
In February 2023 the cast was revealed to include Arienne Mandi and Amir Ebrahimi in the lead roles, with appearances by Jaime Ray Newman, Nadine Marshall and Mehdi Bajestani.[8]
Filming
In February 2023 the film was revealed by the Hollywood Reporter to be in post-production.[9] First-look images from the film were released in May 2023.[10]
