In this episode, Cassia from Arts4Refugees talks with Eric- a student journalist with us on a placement organised by the Oxford University Career Services. Eric is a first year student at studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He researched Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, an Iranian-French actress, director and producer.
Zar Amir-Ebrahimi was famous in Iran for her role in the popular soap opera Nargess, but was forced to leave her home nation after an explicit tape was released of her without her permission. This led to her facing threats of corporal punishment from the Iranian government. She moved to Paris for her own safety and continued her work in film there. Recently, she starred in Holy Spider (2022), in which she plays Arezoo Rahimi, a journalist investigating a serial killer targeting prostitutes. She won Best Actress at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival for her performance in the film, and it increased her international popularity. Indeed, Eric chose to research Amir-Ebrahimi after he saw her performance in Holy Spider
You can listen to the full conversation here.
Key Points:
Eric is a first year PPE student at the university of Oxford
Zar moved to France after an explicit tape of her was released against her will
Her performance in Holy Spider contributed to her popularity
She won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes film festival in 2022
She currently lives in France and is working on many more film projects while remaining outspoken about Iranian women's rights.
If you would like to learn more about Zar - there is a short story by Eric here.
