Epigraph: Did He not find thee (Muhammad) an orphan and give thee shelter? And He found thee wandering in search for Him and guided thee unto Himself. And He found thee in want and enriched thee. So the orphan, oppress not, And him who seeks thy help, chide not. (Al Quran 93:7-11)
A scene from Majid Majidi’s new film about the Prophet Muhammad
Sourc: Guardian UK
Majid Majidi’s extravagant new film is viewed with deep cynicism by a motion picture industry starved for funds
On October 2011, under a complete media blackout, the most ambitious and expensive cinematic project in Iranian history was launched. There had been no leaks regarding the production. The first news came the following month with two announcements: Famed director Majid Majidi declared that he was shooting a film that would “bring pride to Iran and Iranians.” And minister of culture and Islamic guidance Mohammad Hosseini casually mentioned that a movie was being made about what might be the most controversial artistic topic in the world: the Prophet Muhammad.
The movie, Hosseini said, would be produced by the Foundation of the Oppressed (Bonyad-e Mostazafan) – a government-controlled charitable corporation with billions of dollars in holdings. The primary location, an enormous replica of sixth-century Mecca, would be constructed outside the holy city of Qom, about two hours’ drive south of Tehran. The total budget was not made public, but sources close to the production said that it was $35 million (US dollars) – nearly 20 times greater than the next largest Iranian production to date.
After a year of little more than rumors, in November 2012 the first reports appeared on officially sanctioned websites about the film, to be titled Muhammad’s Childhood. Mohammad Mehdi Heidarian, a regime insider and former vice minister of culture and Islamic guidance, was announced as producer. A heretofore unknown organization called Shining Light (Nour-e Taabaan), was named as the project’s financial backer. No information was released about its structure or directors, and the entire production seemed to be proceeding under special security measures. There was no further mention of the Foundation of the Oppressed, whose purported mission of serving the destitute was hard to reconcile with the film’s staggering budget.
This is very good news. There should be more high quality movies about the life history of the Prophet, like the Message movie, especially that are useful for non-Muslim audience.
It would also be nice if some Muslim millionaire, makes the Message movie available online in high quality, without commercials etc.
Good idea, agree fully with Dr Zia Shah. In the mean time one must read the “Life of Muhammad” issued by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK.