HOLY SPIDER

In 2001, Rahimi, a journalist from Tehran, travels to the holy city of Mashhad to investigate a series of murders targeting sex workers. The killings are carried out by Saeed, a family man who believes he is carrying out a religious mission to cleanse the city of sinners. As Rahimi follows the investigation, she discovers that the authorities are reluctant to stop the killer and that his actions are receiving support from parts of the conservative community. Her search gradually exposes a much darker reality of misogyny, religious extremism and institutional indifference.

Original title عنکبوت مقدس
Transliteration Ankabut-e Moqaddas
Directed by Ali Abbasi
Screenplay Ali Abbasi Afshin Kamran Bahrami
Cast Zar Amir Ebrahimi Mehdi Bajestani Arash Ashtiani Forouzan Jamshidnejad Mesbah Taleb Alice Rahimi Sara Fazilat Sina Parvaneh, Nima Akbarpour
Music Martin Dirkov
Cinematography Nadim Carlsen
Editing Hayedeh Safiyari Olivia Neergaard-Holm
Production Companies Profile Pictures One Two Films Nordisk Film Production Film i Väst Why Not Productions Wild Bunch International
Festival de Cannes
2022 | Official Competition — World Premiere
Award for Best Actress — Zar Amir Ebrahimi
Nomination — Palme d’Or
Jerusalem Film Festival
2022 | International Competition
Toronto International Film Festival — TIFF
2022 | Special Presentations
Telluride Film Festival
2022 | Official Selection
Fantastic Fest — Austin
2022 | Main Competition
Best Director — Ali Abbasi
Seville European Film Festival
2022 | Official Competition
Best Actress — Zar Amir Ebrahimi
Nomination — Golden Giraldillo
Stockholm International Film Festival
2022 | Stockholm XXXIII Competition
Bronze Horse — Best Film
Best Actor — Mehdi Bajestani
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival — PÖFF
2022 | Best of Festivals
DDA Spotlight Award — Ali Abbasi
BFI London Film Festival
2022 | Special Presentations
Busan International Film Festival
2022 | A Window on Asian Cinema
Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinéma
2022 | Temps zéro
Filmfest Hamburg
2022 | Kaleidoscope
Helsinki International Film Festival — Love & Anarchy
2022 | Spotlight Selection
International Film Festival Rotterdam — IFFR
2023 | Official Selection
Palm Springs International Film Festival
2023 | Awards Buzz — Best International Feature Film
Bodil Awards
2023 | Official Awards
Best Screenplay — Ali Abbasi & Afshin Kamran Bahrami
Danish Film Awards — Robert Awards
2023 | Official Awards
Best Danish Film
Best Director — Ali Abbasi
Best Original Screenplay — Ali Abbasi & Afshin Kamran Bahrami
Best Actress — Zar Amir Ebrahimi
Best Supporting Actor — Arash Ashtiani
Best Cinematography — Nadim Carlsen
Best Editing — Olivia Neergaard-Holm
Best Editing — Hayedeh Safiyari
Best Sound — Rasmus Winther Jensen
Best Original Score — Martin Dirkov
Best Visual Effects — Peter Hjorth
German Film Awards — Deutscher Filmpreis / Lola
2023 | Official Awards
Bronze Lola — Best Feature Film
Nominations — Best Director — Ali Abbasi; Best Actress — Zar Amir Ebrahimi; Best Actor — Mehdi Bajestani
European Film Awards
2022 | Official Nominations
Nomination — European Film
Nomination — European Director — Ali Abbasi
Nomination — European Actress — Zar Amir Ebrahimi
Nomination — European Screenwriter — Ali Abbasi & Afshin Kamran Bahrami

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