Entered as Denmark’s official submission for the 95th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature category, and featuring a performance from Zar Amir Ebrahimi that won Best Actress at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, writer-director Ali Abbasi’s Holy Spider tells the true story of a serial killer who murdered 16 women in 90s Iran, and the investigative journalist intent on tracking him down.
Check out the trailer below ahead of the film’s screening at October’s BFI London Film Festival…
Female journalist Rahimi (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) travels to the Iranian holy city of Mashhad to investigate a serial killer who believes he is doing the work of God, cleansing the streets of sinners by murdering sex workers. As the body count mounts, and Rahimi draws closer to exposing his crimes, the opportunity for justice grows harder to attain as the ‘Spider Killer’ is embraced by many as a hero. Based on the horrific true story of serial killer Saeed Hanaei, acclaimed writer-director Ali Abbasi (Border) unveils a gripping crime thriller, and a daring indictment of a society in which rough justice is routinely a fact of life.
Holy Spider screens as part of the BFI London Film Festival 2022. It is yet to receive a general release date.
