Persian Lessons (2020) – Filming Locations
War / Drama · Directed by Vadim Perelman · Starring Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Leonie Benesch
Occupied France, 1942. Gilles is arrested by SS soldiers alongside other Jews and sent to a camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids sudden execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. This lie temporarily saves him, but Gilles gets assigned a life-or-death mission: to teach Farsi to Head of Camp Koch, who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran once the war is over. Through an ingenious trick, Gilles manages to survive by inventing words of "Farsi" every day and teaching them to Koch.
Where was Persian Lessons filmed?
- Berlin, Germany, Berlin – The film's primary setting where the Nazi labor camp is depicted and the protagonist teaches Persian to a German officer. The actual Sachsenhausen camp grounds near Berlin were used for exterior scenes and establishing shots of the concentration camp, lending historical authenticity to the narrative
- Oranienburg, Germany, Oranienburg – Barracks, parade grounds, and interior camp sequences where the Persian lessons take place between the prisoner and the Nazi commandant. The memorial site provided authentic locations for the film's central scenes depicting daily life and interactions within the camp