ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Entertainment

    • An exiled actress stars in a piercing portrait of Iran

    Share
    NEW YORK -

    Ninety-nine lashes and a prison sentence awaited Zar Amir Ebrahimi in 2008 when she decided to flee Iran.

    Ebrahimi's only crime was sex. A videotape made privately with her then-partner had two years earlier been leaked by someone else, and spread widely. Ebrahimi, then a well-known TV star in Iran, was charged with having sexual relations outside wedlock. She was ostracized and harassed, her friends and coworkers interrogated.

    "I lost my career. I lost my whole life. And at some point, I became traumatized. I was scared to go to the street alone," Ebrahimi said in a recent interview. "The authorities did everything to me to just make me more helpless and make me more scared. I think at some point, they wanted me to get to suicide, just somehow remove myself from that society."

    Ebrahimi, now 41, decided she wouldn't take any more punishment. She fled to Paris, slowly remaking her life and adjusting to a foreign culture. She started with babysitting and restaurant jobs. She hasn't returned to Iran since.

    "I can never see myself getting these lashes," Ebrahimi says.

    Now, 16 years later, Ebrahimi has dramatically resurfaced on the global stage. She stars in Ali Abbasi's "Holy Spider," playing a journalist investigating a serial killer who is murdering women and sex workers in the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad. At the Cannes Film Festival, Ebrahimi won best actress for her performance.

    The Iranian regime had tried to silence her, Ebrahimi said. "And yet here I am."

    "Holy Spider," which opens in theaters Friday, is based on the 2001 case of Saeed Hanaei, who after confessing to the crimes was celebrated as a folk hero by extremists and right-wing Iranian media. A dark and complex portrait of an Iranian society of oppressive misogyny and simmering injustice, "Holy Spider" has taken on new meaning following the protests that have surged through Iran in recent weeks.

    Nationwide antigovernment protests were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran's morality police. Demonstrations have been met by a crackdown by security forces that have killed more than 200 people, including children, according to rights groups. In cities around the world, many more have held protests in solidarity.

    "Being here at this distance, watching all the videos come out, it's so hard. I need to participate somehow," Ebrahimi said by Zoom from Paris. "I think with this movie, I have a chance."

    Abbasi, who made the 2018 acclaimed thriller "Border" and has directed episodes of the HBO series "The Last of Us," is also an Iranian exile. He lives in Copenhagen. ("Holy Spider" is Denmark's Oscar submission this year.) Politics, he said, never especially interested him as a filmmaker. But he was troubled by the response to Hanaei's murders -- dubbed the "spider killings" by local media -- and saw in the religious center of Mashhad the shadowy stuff of film noir. There, he says, is the duality of Iranian society, with men make pilgrimages by day and hunt for drugs and prostitutes by night.

    Abbasi initially tried to make the film in Iran but couldn't secure permission. He shot it instead in Jordan. By then, Ebrahimi had regained a foothold in the European film industry, working in various capacities. She was initially Abbasi's casting director. Only once the original Iranian actress, fearing the regime's response, bowed out of the film did Abbasi ask Ebrahimi to play the part. He knew the role would resonate differently with Ebrahimi.

    "If there is one person I can say with good conscience is an ambassador of Iranian women, an ambassador of the plight and the trouble, and who rose from the ashes, I think that person is Zar," says Abbasi. "There are bigger forces in play than that she's just an excellent actor."

    "Holy Spider," which Abbasi has called "the first Persian noir," doesn't shy away from the violence of its story. Critics have compared it to David Fincher's "Zodiac," an inspiration to the director. One victim is strangled by her hijab. Part of Iran's government-mandated dress code for women, the hijab has become a potent political symbol following the death of Amini, who was arrested for violating hijab rules.

    "One of the regime-friendly journalists asked me in Cannes: `Why is it that I insist on showing everything so pitch black?"' says Abbasi. "If you look at what's going on in the street right now in Iran, I don't think this is a pitch-black rendition of Iran. Maybe it's almost too optimistic because, in our movie, nobody is smashing anybody's skull with a baton."

    Ebrahimi's character in the film, Rahimi, is fictional. But as a woman seeking justice for women in a male-controlled, sexually repressed society, she's a courageous protagonist who has come to reflect both the current uprising and Ebrahimi's own journey.

    "It was really fictional," says Ebrahimi, who became a French citizen in 2017. "But now, the truth is, I just watched these women and these men fighting for their lives and their freedom in the street, it's just like there are thousands of Rahimis right now. Rahimi has become a reality."

    For Ebrahimi, "Holy Spider" represents the culmination of a long journey.

    "I channeled my own experience of life in this character," says Ebrahimi. "I never saw myself as a victim but at some point, I think we are all victims of this system, of this mindset."

    "People don't want this system anymore," she adds. "As a person who grew up in this system, I think we are almost 18 million actors because we just learn how to lie and live a double life. At some point, I think today, we are just tired of this lie and this game."

    "Holy Spider" arriving in theaters during such political upheaval has catapulted both Ebrahimi and Abbasi into roles they never expected and yet at the same time have prepared for their entire lives. At the London Film Festival earlier this month, Ebrahimi said they each felt absurd attending such an event while protesters clashed with authorities. On the red carpet, Abbasi wore a cleric's robe and blood-stained vampire teeth while holding up a sign for Amini.

    "I was sitting there crying: `I can't anymore talk about this. I don't know what to say, if I'm Iranian or not. I'm not a speaker of these people,"' says Ebrahimi. "But I think we need to stay all together. This movie gives me this opportunity and I have to use it."

    What's happening in Iran is a revolution, she says, and "Holy Spider" bears a message: "You can't anymore control us."

    "There's no way back," says Ebrahimi.

    CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

    Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

    Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

    Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

    A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

    The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

    Canada

    • Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

    • Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

    • The RCMP is seeking the dismissal of three officers who have been suspended from the Coquitlam detachment since June 2021 over allegations of racist, sexist and homophobic comments made in a group chat.

    • Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    • Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    • A Nova Scotia woman has applied for a medically assisted death, saying after years of battling to receive out-of-country surgery for an illness that causes 'indescribable' pain, she struggles to maintain the will to live.

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    • Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    • It was the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge Friday as hundreds of family, friends and fans attended a public memorial in Calgary.

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • When Bernard Morissette got a call from Loto-Quebec on Sept. 18 and was asked if he was sitting down, he had no idea what was coming his way.

    • An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

    Sports

    • The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have won five in a row. The Edmonton Elks have won five of their last six games. They are the two hottest teams in the West. When they meet Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium, something has to give.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • F1 star Max Verstappen punished over bad word

      Formula One points leader Max Verstappen was ordered to 'accomplish some work of public interest' after uttering an inappropriate word Thursday at the news conference ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

    They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

    Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

    The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

    It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

    A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

    • The RCMP is seeking the dismissal of three officers who have been suspended from the Coquitlam detachment since June 2021 over allegations of racist, sexist and homophobic comments made in a group chat.

    • Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

    • On the day he spoke to one of his largest audiences to date, the leader of the BC Conservatives made an exceptionally misleading statement around a well-publicized funding model for political parties that’s been in place since 2018.

    • Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    • The parents of a teenager who died after allegedly consuming the poisonous products of a Mississauga man are now suing him, as well as several doctors involved in her care.

    • One person was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after a multi-vehicle collision in Milton, Ont. on Friday night.

    • The man charged with fatally stabbing lifelong Banff resident Ethan Enns-Goneau in 2022 has been convicted of second-degree murder.

    • Environment Canada issued a frost advisory for Calgary late Friday afternoon.

    • It was the last show for longtime children's TV star Ron (Buck Shot) Barge Friday as hundreds of family, friends and fans attended a public memorial in Calgary.

    • Agreement in principle has been reached to build a new NHL arena at LeBreton Flats has been reached between the Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC), the two sides announced Friday.

    • For years, the commute to Ottawa's west end was one of the biggest complaints for attending fans. But those who live in Kanata and in the immediate LeBreton area say the move would be a big change their respective neighbourhoods.

    • Ottawa police are investigating a shooting downtown Friday afternoon.

    • Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

    • When Bernard Morissette got a call from Loto-Quebec on Sept. 18 and was asked if he was sitting down, he had no idea what was coming his way.

    • A man who asserted his right to work in French has won his case before the Tribunal, invoking the new provisions of the province's French-language law (Bill 96) to that effect.

    • Two Edmonton Police Service officers have been criminally charged in connection with an assault.

    • Roughly 100 people gathered in an Edmonton intersection on Friday in support of – and against – the 1 Million March for Children.

    • The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge announced Friday it is now accepting reservations from guests for accommodations beginning Oct. 1.

    • A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

    • Halifax Regional Police warned the public of a series of high-value thefts targeting retail stores Friday.

    • Air travel is back in full swing at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

    • The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

    • A plane approaches the grass runway at Harv’s Air School south of Steinbach. Nothing is getting in the way of a clear, smooth landing, but owner Harv Penner worries, that could soon change.

    • The University of Manitoba's College of Dentistry is dealing with some unexpected consequences from the federal government's new Canadian Dental Care Plan

    • Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

    • Regina police are responding to a collision involving a motorcycle on Friday evening.

    • Five Regina schools were placed into lockdown or secure the building mode following a report of a weapons investigation at Miller High School on Friday.

    • Protests were held in front of Kitchener City Hall on Friday, both for and against LGBTQ2S+ inclusive education and queer rights in schools.

    • The provincial government is considering new rules to restrict a municipality’s ability to install new bike lanes if it means traffic lanes would be removed.

    • A new scam is being reported in communities across the country.

    • Hospital beds in hallways, supply shortages in the neonatal intensive care unit, and operating rooms being put on hold are some of the concerns nurses are voicing, according to the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN).

    • The Saskatchewan RCMP major crimes unit is investigating after a 29-year-old man died in hospital.

    • A garage fire in Saskatoon’s Willows neighbourhood on Friday narrowly missed igniting an attached home, according to the fire department.

    • Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

    • Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

    • A Brampton driver, 27, was charged this week when northern Ontario police stopped the SUV he was driving on Highway 17 after a reported shooting and found more than $100,000 in cash.

    • A man is in hospital with life threatening injuries following a collision between a motorcycle and a vehicle on Friday afternoon.

    • NEW

      NEW

      Under intense cross-examination from Crown Attorney Jennifer Moser, the embattled former Mayor of Woodstock stuck to his story denying that he ever did anything inappropriate to his female accuser.

    • Two men from Barrie have been charged after a deadly shooting at a park in Keswick on Wednesday.

    • Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

    • A jury has found a Barrie man guilty of second-degree murder for the stabbing death of a man at a Banff bar two years ago.

    • The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is searching for the occupants of a vehicle caught on security cameras during a fatal police-involved shooting on Goyeau Street.

    • Windsor police say a 25-year-old mother has been charged with the drowning death of her 5-year-old child in the family’s backyard pool.

    • The federal government is investing $18.4 million dollars into the region.

    • A home has been transformed for the benefit of a B.C. neighbourhood, by a man who was transformed by the caring of his community.

    • When the federal government announced all open net fish farms on the British Columbia coast need to be out of the water by 2029, it also promised to produce a draft transition plan by the end of July. It missed that target by seven weeks.

    • New Democrat Leader David Eby has launched his British Columbia election campaign a day early, making the key battle ground of Surrey his first stop.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • After a summer of preparation, the Lethbridge Hurricanes are ready to open the 2024-25 season.

    • As a new semester is underway, Lethbridge Polytechnic and the University of Lethbridge say the number of students on campus is on the rise.

    • A Lethbridge resident is facing charges after police seized drugs and weapons at a traffic stop for bicycle equipment violations.

    • A 26-year-old driver from Surrey, B.C., has been charged with three counts of criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm in a crash that killed two youths in northern Ontario last year.

    • Ontario Provincial Police say three suspects from southern Ontario have been charged and drugs worth $300,000 have been seized following a traffic stop Sept. 16.

    • A Brampton driver, 27, was charged this week when northern Ontario police stopped the SUV he was driving on Highway 17 after a reported shooting and found more than $100,000 in cash.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow CTV News