Director: Nick Hamm

Cast: Claes Bang, Connor Swindells, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Ellie Bamber

William Tell is a 2025 action-biography-drama directed by Nick Hamm, dramatizing the legendary Swiss folk hero's rebellion against Austrian imperial occupation in fourteenth-century Europe. Starring Claes Bang in the title role alongside Golshifteh Farahani, it brings the myth of the crossbow to vivid life.

What is William Tell about?

In fourteenth-century central Europe, the Swiss cantons live under the iron heel of Habsburg Austria, whose governors demand humiliating displays of submission from the local population. William Tell, a skilled marksman and farmer, keeps his head down until a confrontation with an Austrian official forces him into open defiance. His act of resistance ignites a movement larger than any single man — drawing in neighbors, rivals, and reluctant warriors who must decide whether freedom is worth the price of war. The story moves from the snowbound Alps to the corridors of imperial power, tracing how an ordinary man's refusal to kneel reshapes the fate of a people.

Cast & crew

Claes Bang, the Danish actor known for commanding screen presence, shoulders the title role with restraint and physicality. Connor Swindells and Jonah Hauer-King play key supporting figures on opposing sides of the conflict. Iranian-born Golshifteh Farahani brings emotional depth to a role that anchors Tell's personal stakes. Rafe Spall and Jonathan Pryce round out a strong British ensemble, while director Nick Hamm orchestrates the large-scale period drama.

Context & significance

For Persian-speaking viewers in the diaspora, William Tell carries a particular resonance: it is the story of a small, proud nation refusing to surrender its identity to a more powerful occupying force — a theme that echoes across Iranian historical memory. The film's depiction of ordinary people choosing resistance over accommodation, of a culture defending its language and way of life against imperial pressure, speaks directly to the diaspora experience. The presence of Golshifteh Farahani, one of the most internationally celebrated Iranian actresses, gives Iranian viewers a personal connection to this European saga. The film is available with Persian DUB and Persian subtitles on K-Time.

Where & how to watch

William Tell is available on K-Time with full Persian DUB and Persian subtitles. Watch on the web browser, your TV, or your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, no extra download required. Start a subscription and cancel anytime.