Israeli thriller ‘Tehran’ wins International Emmy Award for best drama

The second season of the series is currently being filmed in Greece, with A-list American actress Glenn Close joining the cast.

By World Israel News Staff

An Israeli TV series won the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series of 2021 on Monday morning, marking a major achievement for Israeli entertainment on a global scale.

Tehran, a thriller which follows an Iranian-born Mossad agent’s mission to sabotage a nuclear reactor, has taken audiences across the world by storm.

Airing on Israel’s Kan 11 network, the series began streaming for international viewers via AppleTV in September 2020

The second season of the series is currently being filmed in Greece, with A-list American actress Glenn Close joining the cast.

“[The possibility of winning] was in the air, but we did not allow ourselves to have high expectations,” one of Tehran’s producers, Dana Eden, told Radio103 FM, the morning after the awards ceremony.

“We felt very good about the series and its prospects, but it is always impossible to know,” she added.

Eden attributed the series’ success to its broad public appeal, thanks to plot twists and universal themes about love and loyalty.

“I think Tehran is a series that resonates with a lot of audiences around the world. The [public] reaction got the series to Hollywood.”

During her acceptance speech at the ceremony, Eden said the teamwork of the show’s cast, composed of both Israelis and Iranians, had positive implications beyond the entertainment industry.

“We found out that we have a lot in common. I think it gives a hope for the future, and I hope that we can walk together — the Iranians and the Israelis — in Jerusalem, and in Tehran, as friends and not as enemies.”

Adir Miller’s comedy series Ramzor won an International Emmy Award in 2010 for Best Comedy Series.

Nevsu, a series about an Ethiopian-Ashkenazi Israeli family, also won Best Comedy series at the International Emmy Awards in 2018.

Programs from a record 24 countries were under consideration for the 2021 International Emmy Awards. Nominees included actors and series from Argentina, New Zealand, the U.K., Japan, Lebanon, and more.