TEHRAN – MX Player, an Indian media streaming service, will be offering the acclaimed Iranian animated film “The Last Fiction” in the near future.

Users from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives and Nepal also have access to the MX Player service, director Askan Rahgozar said on Monday.

In 2018, MX Player, which was created by J2 Interactive and is owned by Times Internet, the digital media division of Times Group, had 500 million users worldwide, including 350 million in India. In 2019, the platform had over 275 million active monthly users in India.

Earlier in April, Hoorakhsh Studio, the producer of the film, said that platforms providing the video on demand (VOD) service in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) would offer “The Last Fiction” in the region on April 28.

Aurora Trade, the distributor of “The Last Fiction” in the region, had previously canceled the Russian premiere of the film, which had been set for late March, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The movie can currently be downloaded on the VOD platforms Filmin in Spain and Cinesquare in Macedonia, which covers Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Bosnian and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Croatia, Slovenia, Albania, Cyprus, Greece and Turkey.

The 7Sky Entertainment in Turkey and Hoorakhsh are jointly distributing the film around the world.

The movie recounts a story from Persian poet Ferdowsi’s epic masterpiece Shahnameh about Zahak’s treacherous rise to the throne in Jamshid in Persia. The young and naive hero Afaridoun will have to save the kingdom and its people from darkness, but he must first conquer his own demons in this portrayal of Persian mythology that reveals human nature.

The movie has been screened in numerous international events, winning over a dozen awards. It was named best animated film at the 37th Fajr Film Festival in Tehran in February 2019.

“The Last Fiction” was among the submissions for the 2020 Oscars consideration, but it failed to receive a nomination.

Photo: “The Last Fiction” by Ashkan Rahgozar.

MMS/YAW