“Reading Lolita in Tehran” is a 2024 film directed by Eran Riklis, shot in Italy and Israel. Based on Azar Nafisi’s bestselling memoir, it tells a story of female solidarity, courage, and the power of literature. The leading roles are played by Iranian actresses Golshifteh Farahani and Zar Amir Ebrahimi.
The story unfolds after the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979. Morality enforcers patrol the streets of Tehran, and fundamentalists take control of the universities. Women must wear the hijab, their freedoms are restricted, and reading Western literature becomes an act of rebellion.
Because of this, Azar Nafisi (Golshifteh Farahani), a literature lecturer, resigns from her post at the University of Tehran. In secret, she invites a group of the most committed students to her home. Together they read banned classics of Western literature:
Initially shy young women gradually open up. They share their dreams, fears, love stories, and humiliations of life under a totalitarian regime.
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