Director: Kamran Ghadakchian
Cast: فرامرز قریبیان، محمد مطیع، جمشید مشایخی، ایرج راد، ثریا حکمت، احمد هاشمی، طیب شرافتی، مهری ودادیان، سهیلا رضوی، امیرحسین خانشهری، خسرو امیرصادقی، احمد نصر، مختار سائقی، مجید علیزاده، محسن اصلانی، فریدون ابوالضیاء، سام قریبیان و…
Gerdbad is a 1985 Iranian drama film directed by Kamran Ghadakchian, set against the backdrop of Khorasan province and centered on a political conspiracy involving American biological experiments on Iranian soil. Featuring an ensemble of the era's most recognizable Iranian actors, the film blends Cold War tension with rural village life.
What is Gerdbad about?
When a mysterious explosion rocks a remote corner of Khorasan province, a shepherd who lives nearby falls gravely ill. Unknown to him, the blast was caused by clandestine American biological testing conducted in the region. As word of his illness spreads, American agents grow alarmed and set out to locate and silence the man before the full impact of their experiments can be traced back to them. The shepherd's family and community find themselves caught between forces they do not fully understand, as outsiders descend on their village with hidden motives. The story unfolds as a struggle between the powerless and the powerful, asking who protects ordinary people when governments pursue dangerous secrets on foreign land.
Cast & crew
The film draws on a remarkable roster of mid-1980s Iranian cinema veterans. Faramarz Gharibian and Sam Gharibian appear alongside Mohammad Moti, Jamshid Mashayekhi, Iraj Rad, Soraya Hekmat, Ahmad Hashemi, Tayeb Sharafati, Mehri Vadadiyan, Soheila Rezvani, and Amirhossein Khanshahri. Kamran Ghadakchian directed, working with a cast whose collective stage and screen experience gave the film a grounded, naturalistic texture.
Context & significance
Gerdbad arrived in Iranian cinemas in 1985, during the height of the Iran-Iraq War, a period when domestic filmmakers were actively exploring themes of foreign interference and national vulnerability. A biological-experiment thriller rooted in provincial Iran was a bold creative choice — grounding geopolitical anxiety in the lives of ordinary rural Iranians rather than elite urban characters. For diaspora viewers, the film offers a window into the sensibility of 1980s Iranian cinema: ensemble-driven, morally urgent, and deeply skeptical of foreign powers. The performances by Mashayekhi and Gharibian anchor a story that feels as relevant today as it did four decades ago.
Where & how to watch
Gerdbad is available to stream on K-Time in its original Persian audio. No VPN is required — K-Time works without geo-blocking on your browser, smart TV, or phone. Start or cancel your membership anytime.