''Zero Degree Turn'' or ''Zero Degree Latitude'' ( fa, مدار صفر درجه ''Madâr-e sefr darajeh'') is a 2007

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

, made through the cooperation of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. The program was one of the most expensive and elaborate ever produced by Iran and attracted a large audience there.In hit Iranian TV drama, Holocaust no 'myth'
/ref> It is inspired by a real-life story about Iranian diplomat

Abdol Hossein Sardari Abdol Hossein Sardari ( fa, عبدالحسین سرداری; 1914–1981) was an Iranian diplomat. He is credited with saving thousands of Jews in Europe, He has since been known as “The Iranian Schindler” or "The Schindler of Iran". Earl ...

, who saved

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

in 1940s

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

during the Nazi Occupation by giving out

Iranian passport Iranian passports, also known as Persian passports, are issued to nationals of Iran for the purpose of international travel. The passport serves as a proof of Iranian citizenship. The Iranian passports are burgundy, with the Iranian emblem embla ...

s and allowing them refuge in the Iranian Embassy. Although it has been noted that neither character names nor the story are close to Sardari's story.

Plot

Set in the time of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, ''Madare Sefr Darajeh'' follows the life of an Iranian student named ''Habib Parsa'' (

Shahab Hosseini Seyyed Shahabedin Hosseini Tonekaboni ( fa, سید شهاب الدین حسینی تنکابنی; born February 3, 1974) is an Iranian actor, producer and director. He is known for his collaborations with Iranian Academy Award-winning director ...

) who travels to

to study. There Habib meets a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

woman named Sara Astrok, a student at the same university. At first antagonistic toward one another, Habib and Sarah eventually fall in love. They run into many problems, including persecution by the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

s and by Sarah's

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

uncle, but are united in the end.

Cast

- Habib Parsa *Nathalie Matti - Sara Astrok * Roya Taymourian - Asieh *

Masoud Rayegan Masoud Rayegan ( fa, مسعود رایگان, also Romanized as "Mas’ūd Rāyegān"; born January 21, 1954, in Khoramabad, Iran) is an Iranian actor and writer. He was nominated for the Crystal Simorgh Best Actor award at the 23rd Fajr Internati ...

- Mohammadhoseyn Parsa *

Pierre Dagher Pierre Dagher (born April 23, 1963) is a Lebanese actor. Filmography Film *'' One Day I'll Leave'' - Mazen. 2015 *'' 33 Days'' - Avi. 2012 * Damascus Time Television *'' Qiyamat Al Banadiq'' - Abu Ali Malham Qasem. 2013 *''Al Ghaliboun''. 20 ...

- Behruz fattahi * Layazangane - ziant-ol-molok * Ateneh-faghih-nasiri - saide

Opinions

The government financed film has been widely cited as an effort by the government to demonstrate its positions in regards to the difference between Jews and Zionists, encompassing sympathy for the Jewish people (including an orthodox view of the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

) while remaining hostile to

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...

. The director of the series,

Hassan Fathi Hassan Fathi ( fa, حسن فتحی, born 2 September 1959) is an Iranian film director and screenwriter. He's one of the most well known and successful Iranian directors. Fathi is best known for his popular historical TV series. Career He holds ...

, said about it, "I decided to produce this series in 2002, and in those days the

was not an issue. Even if one single Jew is killed in German camps, the world should be ashamed. By the same token, if a single Palestinian dies, the world should be ashamed. I sympathize with the Jewish victims of World War II, to the same extent with women and children victims of the war in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

." The TV series won the praise and support of Iran's Jewish Association, an independent body that safeguards the community's culture and heritage. The association has criticized Mr.

Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدی‌نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956),

's comments about the Holocaust but has praised Mr. Fatthi's show.

DVD release

The series was retitled ''Zero Point Orbit'' for its 2007 release by Bita Film, Tarzana, California. The Persian title is unchanged. The DVDs include neither English nor

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

subtitles.

English dub

The series has an English dub that was recorded in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

by Red Angel Media.

References

External links

Official siteIran Holocaust drama is a big hit
–

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

– Friday, 30 November 2007 * * * * *{{Cite web, url=http://justworldnews.org/archives/002636.html , title='Just World News' with Helena Cobban: An Iranian Schindler's List: "Zero Degree Turn" , access-date=2007-09-30 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013234957/http://justworldnews.org/archives/002636.html , archive-date=October 13, 2007 Iranian television series Holocaust films 2000s Iranian television series 2007 Iranian television series debuts 2007 Iranian television series endings