Tatami

At the World Judo Championships, Leila and her coach Maryam have a great chance to win Iran’s first gold medal. But things begin to crumble when Iran’s Islamic regime meddles in the sport. Ordered to withdraw from the competition, Leila faces the most important decision of her life. The sports drama is set in an isolated world, in a maze of half-lit corridors, offices and gyms. These claustrophobic spaces augment the oppressive nature of the situations in which Leila and Maryam find themselves. Close-ups of the matches vividly capture Leila’s tenacious struggle on the mat and her moral struggle against the repressive political regime.