HOLY SPIDER
Narrative Feature | 117 minutes

HIFF 2022

 World Cinema Narrative

Directed by
Ali Abbasi

Produced by
Sol Bondy, Jacob Jarek, Ali Abbasi

Written by
Ali Abbasi, Afshin Kamran Bahrami

Featuring
Mehdi Bajestani, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Arash Ashtiani, Forouzan Jamshidnejad

Sponsored by



East Coast Premiere

2022 | Persian | Denmark/Germany/Sweden/France

Strong-willed female journalist Rahimi (Cannes Best Actress winner Zar Amir Ebrahimi) travels to the Iranian holy city of Mashad to investigate a serial killer targeting the city’s sex workers in the name of God. Her quest for justice is complicated when the fanatical “Spider Killer” is heralded by many as a hero. This expertly crafted crime thriller subverts and upends the genre with a tale that spins its own web of duplicity and bureaucracy within the frailty of human morality. Loosely based on a true story, HIFF alum Ali Abbasi’s HOLY SPIDER is both a psychological game of cat and mouse and an incisive critique of institutionalized systemic misogyny.

This Utopia release is Denmark’s official selection for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards.