Ali Abbasi's film "Holy spider" competed in Cannes and was condemned by Iran.
The film is based on events from the early 2000s when a married father of three murdered 16 prostituted women in the holy city of Mashhad and became known as the "Spider killer".
The police, who thought he was "cleaning up the streets", had little interest in arresting him.
Now it is awarded as best film at the Stockholm Film Festival.
on the ground:
“A groundbreaking film created with incredible courage and mastery that left us breathless.
We were both dumbfounded and filled with an urge to scream inside at the same time.”
"Holy spider" premieres outside of a festival context on January 20, 2023.