Reading Lolita in Tehran (2024), directed by acclaimed Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis, is a powerful adaptation of Azar Nafisi’s bestselling memoir that explores the intersection of literature, identity and resistance. Set in post-revolutionary Iran, the film follows English literature professor Azar Nafisi as she defies strict moral and political restrictions by forming a secret book club in her living room. At a time when universities are tightly controlled by fundamentalists and Western literature is banned, Nafisi gathers a group of devoted female students to read and discuss forbidden classics by authors such as Nabokov, Austen and Fitzgerald. Through these clandestine readings and heartfelt conversations, the women shed their veils and confront deeply personal questions about hope, love, femininity and the meaning of freedom in an oppressive society. 

This film underscores Riklis’s gift for telling intimate human stories within broader political landscapes and, as part of his retrospective, highlights his continued commitment to narratives about courage, resilience and the transformative power of culture and connection.