Cyrus Kar, the founder and the president of Spenta Productions, explains what inspired him to make this film:

History was set on its head 150 years ago, when Herodotus was ushered in as the “Father of history”. The Persian Empire, which had previously stood as a beacon of benevolent power, became a barbaric villain virtually overnight.

Having been raised in the West, I was taught Herodotus’ version of history along with everybody else. But as an ethnic Iranian, being innately linked to the evil side of the Greco/Persian conflict had always haunted me.

Imagine my euphoria when I learned not only that it wasn’t true, but that the roles had practically been reversed. Cheering for the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae, only because they were underdogs, would be like cheering for Osama Bin Laden today. Yes, they were underdogs but they were ruthless terrorists.

It is a well-known fact that the Spartans practiced infanticide and killed Greek slaves, known as Helots, just for sport. Yet it is these primitive yokels who are cast in movie after movie as the gallant heroes that saved the West from Persian tyranny.

I just thought it was finally time to set the historical record straight about the Persian Empire, and what better way to do that than through the power of film?

About Spenta Productions

Cyrus Kar

Pasargard, King Cyrus Tomb — Iran

Spenta Productions was founded by Cyrus Kar with one simple mission: to shed light on history’s most pivotal moments, which, for whatever reason, have gone untold or mistold. They believe that an accurate account of history will lead to a better understanding of the present.

To do this, they travel to remote corners of the world and take their audience on a journey back in time. They bring history back to life not just by filming the actual remnants of the past, but by recreating buildings, cities and battle scenes using 3-D computer generated imaging.

At Spenta Productions, they take historical accuracy seriously. They conduct years of research and enlist the help of world-renowned scholars in the field of history and archaeology for an unbiased rendering of the subject matter being produced.

Unfortunately history’s most pivotal, yet untold stories took place in some of today’s most dangerous regions. The staff of Spenta Productions has endured floggings, survived bombs, dodged bullets and served harsh prison time in their ongoing effort to set the historical record straight.