Leila Hatami

Leila Hatami
Leila Hatami at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012
Born	(1972-10-01) October 1, 1972 Tehran, Iran
Nationality	Iranian
Years active	1996–present
Spouse(s)	Ali Mosaffa (m. 1998)
Children	Mani (b. 2007) Asal (b. 2008)
Parent(s)	Ali Hatami (Father) Zari Khoshkam (Mother)

Leila Hatami (Persian: لیلا حاتمی‎‎ Leylā Hātamī; born October 1, 1972) is an Iranian actress and director.^[1][2] She is the daughter of director Ali Hatami and actress Zari Khoshkam, and is married to actor Ali Mosaffa.

Biography

After finishing high school, she moved to Lausanne, Switzerland and started her studies in Mechanical engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). After two years she changed her major to French literature.^[3] She completed her study of French in a couple of years, before moving back to Iran. Beside her native Persian language she is fluent in French, English and German.

After a pause of a few years which included the continuation of her studies in Switzerland she made her professional entry into cinema with Dariush Mehrjui's film Leila. Her acting in this film received rave reviews from critics and audiences.

She married her co-star in Leila (Ali Mosaffa) in 1999. They have two children: a son named Mani (born February 2007) and a daughter named Asal (born October 2008).

Career

She had a few short appearances during her childhood which included roles in the Hezar Dastan TV series and the Kamalolmolk movie, as well as a role in 1991 as a blind Turkish princess in Delshodegan.

Having appeared in bit parts in some of her father's movies, Hatami's first lead film appearance was the title role in the 1996 film Leila, directed by Dariush Mehrjui. She received the Diploma of Honor for Best Actress from the 15th Fajr Film Festival.^[4]

Her role in The Deserted Station (2002) won the best actress award from the 26th Montreal World Film Festival.^[5] She has appeared in her husband's films as a director, Portrait of a Lady Far Away (Ali Mosaffa- 2005) and The Last Step (Ali Mosaffa- 2012). She also designed the sets and the costumes of The Last Step and received a nomination at the Fajr Film Festival for best production design and costume design. In 2012 A Separation won the Academy Award for best foreign film in which Hatami played the leading female role.

Leila Hatami between the main competition jury of Cannes Film Festival.

In April 2014, she was announced as a member of the main competition jury at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.^[6] Whilst there, she greeted Cannes President Gilles Jacob with a kiss on the cheek,^[7] which is a form of greeting in France. Iran's Deputy Culture Minister Hossein Noushabadi offered criticism of her for this:

"I hope that those who attend international arenas as Iranian women would be careful about the chastity and dignity of Iranians so that the image of the Iranian woman is not tainted before the world," he said. "If they respect Islamic norms and the national culture and beliefs of Iran, it would be a desirable thing for Iranian celebrities to go abroad, but if their presence lacks regard for social values and ethical criteria, the Iranian nation is not going to accept it."^[7]

Filmography and awards

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leila Hatami.

• Leila Hatami at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Leila Hatami, Leila Hatami answers your questions, BBC Persian, January 31, 2006: Text, Voice.
• Script of Shāer-e Zobāle-hā (شاعر زباله ها), by Mohsen Makhmalbaf: . (Persian)
• An unofficial fan site: Leila-Hatami.com (Persian)