Leila Hatami is, in essence, the heir to Ali Hatami’s poetic cinema, frequently referred to as the poet of Iranian cinema — a director who told stories not just visually but also musically and poetically. His frames are like living paintings, full of details, light, and color, accompanied by melodic dialogues. Leila Hatami, like her father, has amplified that poetic sensibility in her roles, and while honoring this legacy, has also become the independent and distinctive voice of her generation in Iranian cinema. Growing up with a director father and an actress mother provided her with a foundation to become familiar with the world of cinema from an early age.
Leila Hatami’s career is rich with romantic and poetic roles, and it is fair to say that she embodies the archetype of the passionate woman in Iranian cinema. Her journey began amid the detailed frames and melodic dialogues of Ali Hatami’s films. She made her film debut as a kid in “Kamal-ol-Molk” (1984), playing the young Kamal-ol-Molk, a prominent Iranian painter. It was a brief yet meaningful performance. Her presence in “Kamal-ol-Molk” relied less on her acting skills and more on her father’s vision: using the innocent and sincere face of his daughter to portray the beginning of an artistic life that would later reach its peak.
Leila also appeared in the 1992 film “Delshodegan”, also known as “The Love-stricken”, in front of her father’s camera. This film, loaded with nostalgia, music, and poetic zeal, depicts a group of Iranian musicians traveling west to record and preserve their works. It is considered Ali Hatami’s final major masterpiece. Among the well-known faces of the film, the brief but memorable presence of a young girl stands out: Leila Hatami, who appears as a blind Turkish princess. Although this role is short, it beautifully demonstrates Ali Hatami’s interest in utilizing his daughter’s unique sensitivity and gaze within the poetic atmosphere of his film.
From this point on, Leila had learned enough from her father to venture more seriously into the larger world of cinema. “Leila” (1997), directed by Dariush Mehrjui, marked a watershed moment in her artistic career. Not only did it establish her name in Iranian cinema, but it also showcased her as a talented and distinctive actress. The film is remembered above all for its poetic and romantic mood. Leila, portraying a calm and loving woman, infused the film with a delicate lyricism through her silences, glances, and internalized acting, transforming a simple story into one of the most romantic narratives in Iranian cinema.
She received her first award in Iranian cinema for her role, the Diploma of Honor for Best Actress at the 15th Fajr Film Festival, for which she would go on to win and be nominated numerous times. Now, at 53 and with four decades of cinematic work, she has achieved a record of 12 Fajr Film Festival nominations and remains one of the most internationally recognized Iranian actresses.
Her performance in “Sheida” (1999), directed by Kamal Tabrizi, is another of her poetic and romantic roles. Not only does it create a pure and loving character, but it also consolidates her professional path in acting. This role stands as a classic example of Hatami’s ability to balance delicate emotions with the inner expression of her characters and remains one of her most memorable performances in the romantic and poetic cinema of Iran.
The trajectory started with “Leila” and continues with key pieces like “Season Salad” (2005), “Every Night, Loneliness” (2007), and “Penniless” (2009). Her portrayal of a simple-hearted woman in the latter won her the Crystal Simorgh for Best Actress at the Fajr Film Festival.
Hatami plays the central character in Bahram Tavakoli’s film “A Walk in the Fog” (2010), portraying a woman who rises from memory and imagination and expresses her inner and emotional world to the audience with sensitivity and delicacy. Her presence in the film unfolds like a classic love story—expressed through silences, glances, and subtle gestures. Rather than relying on dialogue, she establishes a poetic and profound connection with other characters through her nuanced emotional states.
Hatami redefines the essence of unusual romance in Iranian cinema in “There Are Things You Don’t Know” (2010), directed by Fardin Saheb-Zamani. In her shared scenes with her real-life spouse, Ali Mosaffa, her presence works as a light piercing the darkness and silence. She becomes the catalyst for the protagonist’s inner transformation, guiding the film from solitude and isolation toward an encounter with feeling, memory, and love. In other words, Hatami’s performance here is a vivid example of poetic and romantic sensibility in modern Iranian cinema, where silence, glances, and emotional presence replace ornate dialogue and reveal the spirit of the characters in a lyrical way.
In “The Last Step” (2012) by Ali Mosaffa, Hatami plays a brief but impactful role, carrying much of the emotional and poetic weight of the narrative. Unlike some of her more central roles in earlier works, here her presence serves as an emotional beacon for the main character, shaping the story’s atmosphere with her tenderness and sensitivity.
Hatami’s acting in this picture represents the inner resonance of feelings and poetic moments, rather than plot-driven action as in works like “Leila” or “Sheida”. Her silences and glances imbue the film with a romantic tone and allow the audience to grasp the psychological struggles of the characters more deeply.
One of the most poetic films Hatami has ever played is Safi Yazdanian’s “What’s the Time in Your World?” (2014); the film’s lyricism emerges through fleeting moments and the subtle beauty of everyday life: walking through old alleys, touching the fragments of memory, silent pauses alongside Farhad, and visual compositions that resemble living paintings. All of these gain color and depth through the presence of Goli, Hatami’s character, whose gaze infuses the drama with the texture of poetry and music. With her restrained movements and inward style of acting, Hatami communicates this romantic and poetic sensibility, inviting the viewer to reflect on time, love, and the past.
In “Bomb: A Love Story” (2018), directed by Payman Maadi, Hatami plays a central role as a woman navigating the complexities of emotional and psychological turmoil within a love story set against the backdrop of war. In the film, she portrays a character that is at once vulnerable and resilient, channeling an inner depth through subtle gestures and quiet strength that resonate with the audience. Hatami’s performance relies less on words and more on silence, glances, and small, delicate movements, embodying love and hope amidst the chaos of a war-torn landscape. Her character is not merely a woman in love, but a representative of a generation that, in shelters, dimly lit homes, and under the shadow of explosions, kept the spirit of love and hope alive.
From the very beginning, Hatami showed that she was not seeking the safe or easy path. She chose to appear in less commercial works such as “Love at 40” (2010), “A Walk in the Fog” (2010), and “The Poet of the Wastes” (2005), proving time and again that she was willing to take on challenging and unconventional roles, even at the cost of stepping away from mainstream cinema.
This approach proved fruitful in her partnerships with Hamid Nematollah. Hatami’s exceptional ability to convey inner disintegration and the tragic world of women’s emotional life was demonstrated in “Penniless” and, particularly, “Subdued” (2017). The latter may represent the peak of her expressive intensity, where her raw and powerful performance lingers long in the viewer’s memory—earning her the Golden Simorgh for Best Actress at the Iranian Cinema Celebration Awards.
Yet, the undeniable global turning point in her career remains Asghar Farhadi’s “A Separation” (2011). With a performance balancing restraint and sudden bursts of emotion, Hatami turned Simin into one of the most memorable female characters in Iranian cinema. For this role, she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival, propelling her name beyond borders and drawing international attention to her craft as she approached her forties.
Recently, Hatami portrayed one of her most varied characters in Oktay Baraheni’s highly regarded film “The Old Bachelor” (2024). In contrast to her frequently quiet, introspective, and psychologically laden parts in films such as “A Walk in the Fog” and “Subdued” she plays a woman with more complex personality traits, struggling with inner obstacles and unforeseen situations.
In recent years, Hatami has continued to demonstrate her versatility, taking on roles that reflect her constant search for new challenges. She has never confined herself to a single mold—moving fluidly from the image of an innocent lover to that of a criminal, a math prodigy, a southern mother, and a broken, displaced woman.
Following her international breakthrough with “A Separation”, Hatami solidified her presence on the global stage. She has frequently represented Iranian cinema at prestigious festivals, not only as an award-winning actress but also as a juror. She has served on juries at major festivals including Berlin, Venice, Cannes, Shanghai, and Fajr International, bringing her experience and perspective to the global film community.
Hatami’s global reach extends beyond accolades; she has frequently been asked to serve as a juror at international film festivals. In 2001, she made her international jury debut at the Dubai Short Film Festival. She later served as a jury member at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2006, the Marrakech International Film Festival in 2011, and the Deauville American Film Festival in 2013.
In 2014, Hatami was chosen to serve as a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2022, she joined the International Jury of the Competition at the 79th Venice International Film Festival. Hatami was selected as the chair of the jury at the 28th Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema that same year. In 2012, the French government named her a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, and in 2014, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Leila Hatami has forged a path all her own since making her on-screen debut at the age of eleven and continuing to do so at fifty-three. If Ali Hatami was the “poet of images”, then Leila Hatami has become the “poet of emotions on screen”—a woman who, through long silences, sorrowful glances, and sudden outbursts, has illuminated the inner worlds of Iranian women across social, emotional, and philosophical dimensions.
