Iranian cinema has always been at the center of global attention. Abbas Kiarostami, Dariush Mehjui, Asghar Farhadi, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Majid Majidi, Jafar Panahi, Bahman Ghobadi, Rasul Sadr Ameli, Mohammad Rasoulof, Vahid Jalilvand, Shahram Mokri, Houman Seyyedi, are just some of the filmmakers whose works have screened in prestigious international film festivals such as Cannes, Berlinale, Venice, Tribeca, Toronto, Locarno, and Sundance, then have gone to receive Academy Awards and Golden Globes.
However, contrary to their Turkish and Egyptian counterparts, Iranian TV series have not had much luck when it comes to global presence, and now with the commencement of TV productions for VOD services, there is a chance for the private sector to expand their marketing targets.
In Iran, as per the country's constitution, radio and television are state-run and private channels are not permitted to operate. Nonetheless, concurrent with the fall of national TV's popularity, VOD services seized this opportunity and Iranians managed to create a kind of Netflix culture of their own, via private investments and to produce various series.
The TV series Mortal Wound is a 2021 product of these services, now streaming on the global KCTS 9 channel with American and Canadian viewers, and users can watch the whole series on its website.
This drama series consists of 15 episodes written and directed by Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian, and the script is adapted from Mahmoud Hosseinizad's novel Twenty Mortal Wounds, produced for the VOD service Filimo. The cast are as follows: Javad Ezzati, Rana Azadivar, Hanieh Tavassoli, Saeed Changizian, Elaheh Hesari, Abbas Jamshidifar, Mehdi Zaminpardaz, Morteza Aminitabar, Amirhossein Hashemi, and Maedeh Tahmasbi.
Javad Ezzati is one of the most popular Iranian actors and is the protagonist of this series, the hit crime drama based on William Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Macbeth. He won an award for his role in the 2016 title Paradise, directed by Ali Atshani at the Chelsea International Film Festival in NYC.
It remains to be seen how international and diaspora audiences will react to this Iranian TV series, in spite of the cultural taboos and misrepresentations of stereotypes in Western media -- such as the use of the Hijab, violence, and sex, as we have been accustomed to reading about when it comes to the Islamic Republic.
Upon its release, Mortal Wound received mostly favorable reviews from critics. With an average viewing time of 20 million minutes, this series has become the most watched title on Iranian VOD services, earning seven nominations in the 21st independent Hafez Awards, and winning four, including Best TV Series, Best TV Screenplay, Best Drama Actress for Rana Azadivar, and the Jury's Special Award for Javad Ezzati, the lead actor of this production.
It is not the first time the Shakespearean tragedy of Macbeth has been adapted for the big or small screen. The 1990 film Men of Respect starring John Turturro also mirrors the tragedy of Macbeth, as does the Indian crime drama from 2004 film Maqbool by Vishal Bhardwaj, starring the late Irrfan Khan along with Tabu and various other Hindi cinema stars. The Canadian show Slings and Arrows also featured a different Shakespearean play each season including Macbeth.
For more details on Mortal Wound check out the KCTS 9 site.
