'We are all exiles here': Golshifteh Farahani's remarkable Ibiza journey

MAYA BOYD: You were born into a family of creatives in post-revolutionary Iran. How has that shaped your identity?

GOLSHIFTEH FARAHANI: It’s had a huge impact. My father is a writer and theatre director. My mother is a painter and an actor. My siblings are musicians and painters. Our home was full of life and art. When I began to work in film, I was initially drawn to movies with an intellectual storyline. But it hasn’t been easy. I’m a woman and I was born in Iran. In terms of a career, these were both obstacles that I had to overcome. When I first went to shoot a movie in the United States [alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Ridley Scott’s Body of Lies], I had to get an exemption from the Department of Cultural Affairs because my Iranian passport meant I couldn’t work there. When I returned to my country, my passport was confiscated, and I was interrogated for seven months. I had to leave, and it felt like death. But now, in some way, I’m grateful to my interrogators and to the government of Iran and to the fascist regime. Because they have given me a life here that is full of light and freedom. So, I thank them.

MB: Your life has played out like the plot of a film. What's the role Ibiza has in your story?

GF: I came here for the first time in 2003 and again in 2011. I came because I was desperate. It was a few years after I had been exiled from Iran and I was in a very bad place in life, very sad and lost. I was in London for work and suddenly there was a voice in me that said, ‘Go to Ibiza.’ I don’t even know why. I didn't know anybody. I didn’t know anything. I just bought a ticket. That was when the doors opened. It was like a miracle. I felt that Ibiza was a person who took me in. I took refuge here. For me, Ibiza is not really an island, it’s more like a person. It has a personality. It has wishes. It has a will. Ibiza can be sometimes kind and sometimes brutal, and it gives you what you need, not what you want. For people who are ready to be challenged in life, it’s the best diamond shaper. If you are a pebble or a precious stone, Ibiza can shape you in a good way. It can also break you.

MB: The island is home to a diverse group of creatives, liberal thinkers, and spiritual seekers. Was that part of its appeal for you?

GF: There are a few places in this world which are like gateways to the other side. Byron Bay, Bali, Goa, Alto Paraíso. These places connect the party people to the yoga people, then to shamans and priests. They connect very diverse groups of people with one thing in common – a desire to create their own society. They are all social exiles, or they cannot find their place in the world. They don’t belong to anyone. I think Ibiza is a no-man’s land. At a party you can be a billionaire or a backpacker. No one cares. We are all exiles and it’s our choice to come together in a community. I have never felt like a foreigner here. I’m just a human being. I’m a woman. I’m a girl.

MB: You’ve spent most of this year filming in South Africa. How does it feel to come home?

GF: It’s incredible. I live on the very far northern coast of the island, where Google maps suggests addresses in Mallorca. I first saw my home on Skype when I was doing Anna Karenina in Nice. I took one look and said, ‘I’ll take it.’ I believe it’s where I was supposed to be. But it was a total ruin! I had to clear so much forest and get water and electricity up here. It took seven years of my life to build this house, but I was also building my inner self. Having left my own homeland behind, it was grounding to create a new home from scratch. It sounds crazy but I believe this property chose me to bring it to life. I was listening to what the house wanted to become. It makes me so happy to be the caretaker.

MB: What do you think the future holds for Ibiza?

GF: Ibiza is one of the only places in Europe – perhaps along with Portugal – with such a density of conscious people trying to make a difference in the world. But I have a lot of worries for the island, because with the prices increasing, you are going to lose a lot of the artists and the people that give the island its special energy. People who have the means need to support those who don’t – the people who contribute in other ways. And the water situation in Ibiza is perilous – the island is getting hotter, there are more visitors putting pressure on the infrastructure and the wells are running dry. This is not an issue that we can afford to ignore. But I’m happy to be here, sitting at a table with a group of friends who are all having a positive impact on the planet. It’s a real privilege and there is so much love here. Home is where love is and where love travels. Ibiza to me is an anchor. Before I came here, my boat was just going round and round. Now, finally, my boat has an anchor.

HAIR: Faye Browne. MAKE-UP: Lilli Kelly. PRODUCTION: Ashley Harris. PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT: Nick Falke. STYLING ASSISTANT: Gonzalo Montagut.