Holy Spider
Recommended for mature audiences
Zar Amir-Ebrahimi won Best Actress at Cannes for her role as a journalist suffering the indignities of being a single, working woman in the holy city of Mashhad, Iran, where she arrives to investigate the serial killings of sex workers by the Spider Killer. Many in the city deem the murderer a hero for “cleaning the streets.” However, as Slant Magazine notes, “Holy Spider [based on real events] compellingly positions misogyny as an unending inherited nightmare, stretching far beyond the actions of one single man.” This timely drama is shortlisted for an International Feature nomination at the Academy Awards in March 2023.
Visiting Guidelines Masks are recommended in Museum auditoriums. Advance tickets are also recommended. In the interest of your personal safety and community health, please observe all precautions set forth by the MFAH—learn more here. Doors open 30 minutes before the screening starts. No late entry.
Accessibility The MFAH strives to provide a welcoming and accessible experience for all guests by offering a range of accommodations—learn more here.
Generous support is provided by the ILEX Foundation.
Special thanks to community partners Society of Iranian American Women for Education and Iranian Cultural Foundation-Houston.
Holy Spider
Directed by Ali Abbasi
(Denmark, Germany, Sweden, France, 2022, 116 minutes, in Persian with English subtitles)
Brown Auditorium Theater