Merila Zare’i (Actress)

The first important film which brought her fame was Tahmineh Milani’s Two Women. After that, she has regularly appeared in many films made by that feminist director. In Two Women, Zare’i appears as a woman who is completely free and tries to teach her oppressed friend how to live as a free woman. Zare’i also appeared in Milani’s other films, The Fifth Reaction and The Unwanted Woman. The three films cast her as the icon of a woman who tries to claim her feministic rights in a society dominated by men. Zare’i had appeared in a short role in Massoud Kimiaei’s Friday Soldiers which brought him the best actress prize of International Fajr Film Festival. Zare’i was trying to play more lasting roles in her next films to establish her status as a great actress in the Iranian cinema. She was great in Empty Hands (Abolqasem Talebi). However, when the best actress prize of Fajr Festival was awarded to another actress last year, she bitterly criticized the selection and her remarks remained controversial for a while. Zare’i has also appeared in many commercial films which has made critics wary about her professional performance. Zare’i was among the crew of the bestselling The Expelled (Massoud Dehnamaki). However, in final editing, her scenes were deleted and they are going to be used in the sequel to that film, which is currently being produced.