The Series Mania Grand Prize Winner " The Actor "

“Shakespeare said that all the world’s a stage,” Javidi tells Variety. “And that all the men and women are merely players, assuming different roles depending on their situations and what they want to achieve. I thought it was fascinating [to put performers in those private detective roles and have them], overcome obstacles, solve problems, and save themselves and others from difficulties by using their acting abilities.” Led by Venice best actor winner Navid Mohammadzadeh (who recently anchored Saeed Roustayi’s Cannes-acclaimed “Leila’s Brothers”), “The Actor” follows Ali (Mohammadzadeh) and Morteza (Ahmad Mehranfar), two down-and-out performers with little to their names but a derelict theater for which they can barely make rent. Still looking to practice their chosen trade, the performing pair stage elaborate, costumed pranks, mostly paid for by Teheran’s rich-kid set. That is, until the duo catch the attention of a shadowy private firm that uses improv artists as investigators. “This kind of role-playing in real life could expand forever, assuming so many different forms,” Javidi explains. “Unlike Sherlock Holmes, who uses his intelligence, or superheroes, who save people with their incredible strength, [Ali and Morteza] resolve their obstacles and accomplish their adventures by exercising their art. They act to save themselves and others from difficulties.”