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A Thousand and One Ways to Get What You Want

synopsis

Persia, 550 AD. With the Roman Empire fallen and Europe nearing the Dark Ages, the Sassanid Empire endures despite droughts, conflicts and a king hiding from his people. In the capital Ctesiphon, located 32 km southeast of present-day Baghdad, Zadi — the willful and outspoken daughter of King Shahryar’s chief administrator — is determined to change an unjust world for the better. Her problem? Despite her sharp intellect, her ideas are often dismissed because she is a woman. When thrust into the role of the mercurial king’s new mistress, Zadi leverages her talent for storytelling to circumvent societal constraints and offer him counsel as he grapples with the challenges of ruling an increasingly unstable empire. As he becomes reliant on her insights, the balance of power shifts between them. A Thousand and One Ways to Get What You Want is a modern tale inspired by the characters of One Thousand and One Nights, centring around Zadi and her complicated relationship with King Shahryar and the intrigues at the court, all set against a high-stakes power struggle amongst the noble families in ancient Persia.

Director’statement

In this series, we explore the sway of stories in shaping reality in a world where perception is everything, and a well-placed story could topple almost any ruler - not entirely unlike today. Set in pre-Islamic Persia, we refrain from falling victim to romanticised clichés. It’s a fresh view of an ancient society that had many similarities to ours, especially regarding women, who had the same rights as men on paper, but would seldom call the shots at the top level. Of course, no one had any rights when it came to the will of the king, but that will certainly not stop our protagonist, Zadi, from getting what she wants. The beating heart of this show is a spicy relationship where the man has all the power in the beginning, and the woman has none, but soon the tables are turned. While the power games and politics in this world may be brutal and treacherous, we keep a light tone full of wit, attitude and a dash of anarchy.

TFL PROGRAMME:
SeriesLab 2023

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