Movie ‘Muhammad’ Screened in Saint Peters-burg

The screening at the opening of the Islamic Culture Week was attended by 500 Muslim, Orthodox Christian and Jewish personalities and others.

It came thanks to efforts by the Iranian Cultural Center in Russia and the Russian Muftiat Council.

Majid Majidi -the director who was present at the screening session and the opening ceremony of the Islamic Culture Week, in an address to the ceremony referred to the 7 years he spent for making the movie and described them as “the sweetest years of my life”.

He said he made efforts to include the viewpoints of both Shia and Sunni scholars in making the film.

Referring to the move by some countries to boycott the work, Majidi said they have made the move without even watching it.

“I have always invited all Muslim scholars to watch the full move and discuss it (before judging it),” he stated.

The renowned filmmaker also referred to the distortion of Islam’s image by extremists and hoped the promotion of the undistorted image of Islam in the world through cultural works.

A message from Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin, head of Russia’s Muftiat Council, was also read out at the ceremony.

In his message, the Russian cleric hailed the movie and also hoped the Islamic Culture Week can help promote Islam’s image in Russia.

Muhammad, the Messenger of God, which is the first part of Iran’s big-budget trilogy on the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF), premiered in cinemas across Iran on August 26, 2015, and attracted a large number of audiences.

A number of internationally-acclaimed professionals, including Academy Award winning visual effects supervisor and filmmaker Scott E. Anderson, three-time Oscar-winning Italian director of photography Vittorio Storaro and renowned Croat production designer Milijen Kreka Kljakovic collaborated in making the film.

Academy Award-winning Indian music composer Allah-Rakha Rahman has written music for the movie.

Majid Majidi is an internationally and critically acclaimed Iranian film director, film producer, and screen writer whose films have touched on many themes and genres and has won many international awards.

source: IQNA