Shahrzad to take part at European Film Market

TEHRAN, Feb. 14 (MNA) – Iranian political romance series of Shahrzad will take part at the European Film Market (EFM), which opened on February 11 as part of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. The series, produced by Seyyed Mohammad Emami, starring Ali Nasirian, Taraneh Alidousti, Shahab Hosseini, Parinaz Izadyar and Mostafa Zamani is currently being distributed by the home video market in Iran. A joint production of Iran and Germany and directed by Hassan Fathiy, Shahrzad had its premiere in October at EMFilm in Cologne, Germany which acquired the franchise for distribution of the series across Europe. Shahrzad is the first Iranian series totally produced by the private sector and was distributed on the home video market in cities across Iran on October 12. The European Film Market will run until February 19 and according to the organizers of the Market, over 8,000 producers, exhibitors, world sales, buyers and financiers are expected to attend the market this year. A romance-crime melodrama, Shahrzad is a love story narrated in a historical setting. The events unfold in Tehran in the early 1950s after the nationalization of Iran’s oil industry by the then prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. The story is about university students Shahrzad and Farhad who fall in love. In the 26 episodes of the series, over 200 actors have played a part. Considering the professional team behind the camera plus two years spent on pre-production and four months of shooting, it is the biggest project by the private sector for the home video network.