A series of unsolved murders of prostitutes keeps the holy city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on tenterhooks: “Spider Killer” is what they call the serial killer who believes himself to be doing God’s work by clearing the streets of filth. The journalist Rahimi is assigned by her newspaper to investigate the case. Despite all the obstacles of being a woman in a male-dominated world, Rahimi does not give up her search for the truth. Based on the true crime case of the “spider murderer” Saeed Hanaei, who shook the holy city of Mashhad in the early 2000s, Iranian-born director Ali Abbasi (BORDER) realized a thriller that is as gripping as it is unusual. HOLY SPIDER celebrated its sensational world premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where Sahra Amir Ebrahimi was named Best Actress.

Ali Abbasi, born in Iran in 1981, dropped out of his studies in Tehran to move to Stockholm/Sweden, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. He then studied directing at the National Film School of Denmark, graduating with M FOR MARKUS in 2011. His feature film directorial debut, SHELLEY, premiered at the Berlinale in 2016. He became known with his second feature film, BORDER, which premiered in the “Un Certain Regard” section at Cannes in 2018. Sweden nominated BORDER for the shortlist of 2019 Oscar entries, while HOLY SPIDER entered the Cannes Palme d’Or race this year and is Denmark’s nominee for the 2023 Oscars.

Filmography (selection): 2016 SHELLEY, 2018 BORDER, 2022 HOLY SPIDER

Awards: Palme d’Or for Best Actress (Cannes International Film Festival, France 2022)