''Zero Degree Turn'' or ''Zero Degree Latitude'' ( ''Madâr-e sefr darajeh'') is a 2007

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

, made through the cooperation of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, 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 and ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. 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, who saved

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

in 1940s

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

during the Nazi Occupation by giving out Iranian passports 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, ''Madare Sefr Darajeh'' follows the life of an Iranian student named ''Habib Parsa'' ( Shahab Hosseini) who travels to

to study. There Habib meets a French

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

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 (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

s and by Sarah's

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

uncle, but are united in the end.

Cast

* Shahab Hosseini - Habib Parsa *Nathalie Matti - Sara Astrok *

Roya Taymourian Roya Teymourian (, born 19 March 1959 in Tehran) is an Iranian actress. Selected filmography Film * '' Women's Prison'' * ''Gharch-e Sammi'' * '' Beed-e Majnoon'' (The Willow Tree, by Majid Majidi) * ''Kafe Setereh'' * '' Good to Be Back'' * '' ...

- Asieh * Masoud Rayegan - Mohammadhoseyn Parsa * Pierre Dagher - 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 (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

) while remaining hostile to

Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

. The director of the series,

Hassan Fathi Hassan Fathi (, 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. Marriage and Family Hassan Fathi i ...

, 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 Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

." 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'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 subtitles.

English dub

The series has an English dub that was recorded in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

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 broad ...

– 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 Holocaust films 2007 Iranian television series debuts 2007 Iranian television series endings Multilingual television series