Holy Spider - Portal do Município de Vila Nova de Famalicão - Portugal

Casa das Artes | Small auditorium – 21h45

Admission: 4 euros | Students: 2 euros | Free for members of Cineclube de Joane | Sweden/Germany/Denmark/France, 2022 | Directed by: Ali Abbasi | Cast: Mehdi Bajestani, Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, Forouzan Jamshidnejad, Arash Ashtiani | Rating: M/16 | Running time: 115 min

Arezoo Rahimi, a journalist from Tehran (Iran), arrives in the holy city of Mashhad to investigate the deaths of several prostitutes. According to what the authorities have been able to ascertain, the women are captured by a man on a motorbike who takes them with him and strangles them, abandoning their bodies in the open countryside. The film follows the last night of one of his victims and the journalist's efforts to find clues to identify the killer. But as she progresses in the case, she comes up against some resistance from the police officers, who consider the killer a kind of vigilante who helps them cleanse the streets of crime and sin. With the problem of misogyny as its underlying theme, this thriller is directed by Ali Abbasi ("Border") and is based on the true story of Saeed Hanaei, a bricklayer and former war veteran who considered it his divine mission to end prostitution and who, between 2000 and 2001, was responsible for the deaths of 16 women. "Holy Spider" was selected to compete at the Cannes Film Festival, where Zar Amir Ebrahimi won the Best Actress award, becoming the first Iranian to receive this honour.