Director: Nosratollah Vahdat

Cast: Nosratollah Vahdat, Jale Karimi, Asghar Semsaarzadeh, Sasha Berminko, Berijit Haru

Yek Esfahani Dar Sarzamin'e Hitler is a 1978 Iranian comedy film directed by and starring Nosratollah Vahdat, following a bumbling everyman from Isfahan who stumbles into a web of scheming strangers aboard a train bound for Germany.

What is Yek Esfahani Dar Sarzamin'e Hitler about?

Mirza Baqer, a naive and well-meaning man from Isfahan, boards a train heading to Germany, where he crosses paths with two fellow travelers: the pompous Mr. Balakhan and the charming Manijeh, both heading abroad on official business. Once the group settles into a hotel, Manijeh makes contact with a man named Arsalan — and it quickly becomes clear that Arsalan and his circle have designs on her. Mirza Baqer, caught in the middle through sheer bad luck and good intentions, finds himself entangled in a comedic spiral of misunderstandings, deceptions, and fish-out-of-water chaos on foreign soil. The film mines the gap between Iranian provincial modesty and the bewildering world beyond the border.

Cast & crew

Nosratollah Vahdat, the creative force behind the film, pulls double duty as director and lead actor, channeling a long tradition of Persian comic performance into the role of Mirza Baqer. Jale Karimi plays Manijeh, and the ensemble includes Asghar Semsaarzadeh, Sasha Berminko, Berijit Haru, and Counter Vagner in supporting roles that round out the cross-cultural comedy.

Context & significance

Released in 1978, just months before the Iranian Revolution transformed the country's cultural landscape, this film belongs to the golden era of pre-revolution Iranian popular cinema — a period characterized by slapstick comedies built around lovable provincial characters dropped into unfamiliar settings. The "simple Iranian abroad" premise was a beloved formula that resonated with working-class audiences at home, and today it carries added nostalgia for diaspora viewers who remember that cinematic era fondly. Watching it is like recovering a piece of the Iran that was — its humor unpolished, its heart genuine.

Where & how to watch

Available on K-Time with original Persian audio. No Persian subtitles or dubbing for this title. Stream on your browser, TV, or phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, no extra download required. Start a subscription and cancel anytime.