The Iranian actress and director Zar Amir, renowned for her roles in "Holy Spider" and her directorial prowess in "Tatami," is poised to embody Lady Macbeth in "Lili," an innovative interactive video game jointly produced by the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and the New York-based indie studio iNK Stories. Amir's Paris-located Alambic Production will also lend its expertise to this co-production, marking the RSC's exciting foray into the realm of video games.
"Lili" offers a captivating twist on Shakespeare's timeless tragedy, with Amir portraying Lady Macbeth, alias Lili, in a stylish neo-noir rendition of contemporary Iran. In this haunting setting, where omnipresent surveillance and an authoritarian regime permeate daily life, the game seamlessly blends live-action cinema with interactive elements, empowering players to shape Lili's fate through their choices. The witches of Macbeth are reenvisioned as hackers, while surveillance cameras and cyber-infiltration tools immerse gamers deeper into the game's compelling world.
Emma Smith, an RSC Board member and a leading Shakespeare scholar who adapted the text for the game, comments, "'Lili' takes Shakespeare's exploration of political ambition, personal compromise, and the distortion of human lives under tyranny and transplants these themes into contemporary Iran. It is both quintessentially Shakespearean and radically unfamiliar. Forget the cliché that Shakespeare would pen screenplays for Hollywood if he were alive today; 'Lili' underscores that he would undoubtedly be composing for gaming."
Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, RSC co-artistic directors, add, "Gaming today stands as theatre has historically—a portal to explore worlds, inhabit narratives, and experience something deeply personal yet communal. 'Lili' evokes similar responses in audiences. By centering this tense thriller on Lady Macbeth rather than her husband, it introduces a radical and transformative perspective. It flips the play's inquiries into gender, identity, and power inside out."
Zar Amir's acting prowess was recognized with the Best Actress prize at Cannes in 2022 for her role in Ali Abbasi's "Holy Spider," and she ventured behind the camera in 2023 to co-direct the sports thriller "Tatami" with Israeli filmmaker Guy Nattiv. Meanwhile, iNK Studios has garnered acclaim for its award-winning game "1979 Revolution: Black Friday," an interactive adventure where players assume the role of an aspiring photojournalist returning to Iran amidst the Iranian Revolution. Released in 2016, the game won numerous accolades and was featured at prestigious film festivals such as Sundance and SXSW.
