Acclaimed filmmaker Eran Riklis returns with Reading Lolita in Tehran, a powerful and deeply moving adaptation of Azar Nafisi’s international bestselling memoir—an ode to the transformative power of literature in the face of repression.

Set against the shifting tides of post-revolutionary Iran, the film follows Azar, a courageous literature professor portrayed by Golshifteh Farahani, who refuses to surrender her voice—or her imagination—to a regime tightening its grip on intellectual freedom. Forced from the university, she gathers a small group of her most devoted female students in secret, inviting them into a hidden sanctuary where banned Western classics become lifelines.

With Riklis’s signature humanism and emotional clarity, Reading Lolita in Tehran captures an intimate portrait of resilience, friendship, and quiet rebellion. The film traces not only the evolution of a teacher and her students, but also the enduring belief that storytelling can challenge power, reclaim identity, and keep hope alive—even in the darkest of times.

Brought to life by an exceptional ensemble cast including Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Mina Kavani, and crafted with meticulous attention to authenticity, the film recreates 1980s Tehran with striking detail while resonating with urgent contemporary relevance.

At once intimate and expansive, Reading Lolita in Tehran is a stirring tribute to the women who dare to think freely—and a reminder that even in silence, stories can speak volumes.