The Messiah (Iranian film)

Mesih, more commonly and officially referred to as 'The Messiah' [ [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hEJp8g5Ip07SZM6RoHz9OlRs5zBg AFP: 'Islamic Jesus' hits Iranian movie screens ] ] [ [http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=4297085&page=1 ABC News: Story of Jesus Through Iranian Eyes ] ] [ [http://www.ibnlive.com/news/new-jesus-film-through-the-eyes-of-a-muslim-director/60734-2.html New Jesus film through the eyes of a Muslim director ] ] [ [http://ntalebzadeh.multiply.com/ Nader Talebzadeh, Iranian Director ] ] [ [http://thedeezone.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/jesus-from-a-muslim-perspective/ Jesus From a Muslim Perspective « TheDeeZone ] ] , but also referred to as 'Jesus' [ [http://www.iran-daily.com/1386/2954/html/art.htm#s261540 Iran Daily - Arts & Culture - 09/30/07 ] ] , "Good Tidings of the Savior" in Persian [ [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117917841.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 'Messiah' has Islamic take on Jesus - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety ] ] , 'Jesus, the Spirit of God' [ [http://biblefilms.blogspot.com/2008/02/abc-on-jesus-spirit-of-god.html Bible Films Blog: ABC on Jesus the Spirit of God ] ] [ [http://healtheland.wordpress.com/2008/01/14/islamic-jesus-movie-from-iran-with-love-how-long-before-tbn-airs-it/ Islamic Jesus Movie: From Iran With Love! How Long Before TBN Airs It? « Jesus Christology ] ] [ [http://directionstoorthodoxy.org/n/islamic_jesus_hits_iranian_movie_screens.html Directions to Orthodoxy - 'Islamic Jesus' hits Iranian movie screens ] ] [ [http://www.iranian.com/main/blog/darius-kadivar/islamic-jesus-hits-iranian-movie-screens 'Islamic Jesus' hits Iranian movie screens | Iranian.com ] ] [ [http://www.sawfnews.com/Entertainment/47027.aspx 'Islamic Jesus' hits Iranian movie screens ] ] , 'Messia' [ [http://ntalebzadeh.multiply.com/ Nader Talebzadeh, Iranian Director ] ] is a 2008 Iranian film from the Islamic Republic of Iran, directed by Nader Talebzadeh, depicting the life of Jesus from an Islamic perspective, based not only on the canonical gospels, but also the Qur'an, and, it would seem, the Gospel of Barnabas. [ [http://biblefilms.blogspot.com/2008/02/abc-on-jesus-spirit-of-god.html Bible Films Blog: ABC on Jesus the Spirit of God ] ] which conforms to the Islamic interpretation of Christian origins. Some Islamic organizations cite it in support of the Islamic view of Jesus.

Iranian actor, Ahmad Soleimani Nia plays the role of Jesus. [ [http://directionstoorthodoxy.org/n/islamic_jesus_hits_iranian_movie_screens.html Islamic Jesus hits Iranian movie screens] ] [ [http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=50317&sectionid=351020105 Press TV - Iranian film on the life of Jesus in US ] ] [ [http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=165624 tehran times : “Jesus” reflects Muslim belief in Philadelphia filmfest ] ]

The director sees his film "as an Islamic answer to Western productions like Mel Gibson's 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," which he praised as admirable but quite simply "wrong"." [ [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hEJp8g5Ip07SZM6RoHz9OlRs5zBg AFP: 'Islamic Jesus' hits Iranian movie screens ] ] The film has two endings, one from the Christian bible and one from the Qur'an.

It is a two-hour-plus feature film and a TV series shot for Iranian TV. [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117917841.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 'Messiah' has Islamic take on Jesus - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety ] ] . The movie will be adapted into a television series to be shown on Iranian TV later this year. [ [http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=4297085&page=1 ABC News: Story of Jesus Through Iranian Eyes ] ]

"Variety" stated that "With over 1,000 actors and extras, it is one of the largest film productions ever attempted in Iran. It will air as 20 45-minute episodes after a theatrical version is released here."

It hit the Philidelphia film festival. [ [http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=165624 tehran times : “Jesus” reflects Muslim belief in Philadelphia filmfest ] ]

Plot

The gospels seen through a very different lens is the brief summary of what "The Messiah" is all about. Never has there been an attempt to portray Jesus, the great prophet of God from a mutually Muslim and Christian perspective. Perhaps what had been lacking in the popular media in the twentieth century is made up in the first years of the twenty first.

Cast and shot with the best in Iranian cinema which has proven itself in international arenas, this project strives to reach an international audience. The fruit of a vast research that spans the spectrum of Christian and Muslim sources, it will push to challenge many contemporary beliefs, that have become callused through the centuries.

The appearance of Jesus as prophet of God who is trapped within conspiracies to eradicate his message and to abolish his mission is the key plot in this twenty part series. Furthermore, the pronouncement of the coming of the final prophet of God after Jesus, the missing-link between Christianity and Islam is emphatically portrayed. It is this luminous path through which the viewer is guided in this historical religious revelation.

In the final episode, the ascension of Jesus to heaven is the ultimate unifying code between Christians and Muslims alike. The story will depict this final turn of events and inevitably hearken the believers worldwide for the final appearance of the Apocalypse.

Crew

*Director of Photography : Sadegh Mianji
*Sound : Seyyed Jalal Hosseini
*Set & Costume Designer : Ahmad Soleimani-Nia
*Make-up Designer : Morteza Zarrabi
*Executive Producer : Abdollah Sa'eedi
*Production Assistant : Sa'eed Kazemi

Awards

The Vatican has given the movie an award for promoting interfaith understanding, at Rome's 2007 Religion Today Film Festival in Italy. [ [http://healtheland.wordpress.com/2008/01/14/islamic-jesus-movie-from-iran-with-love-how-long-before-tbn-airs-it/ Islamic Jesus Movie: From Iran With Love! How Long Before TBN Airs It? « Jesus Christology ] ] [ [http://www.benettontalk.com/islamic-jesus/ Islamic Jesus : BenettonTalk ] ] [ [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hEJp8g5Ip07SZM6RoHz9OlRs5zBg AFP: 'Islamic Jesus' hits Iranian movie screens ] ]

Anti-semitism

As with Gibson's movie, it is being portrayed in one article as being anti-Semitic. [ [http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/movies/20080404_Muslim_view_of_Jesus__with_anti-Semitism.html Muslim view of Jesus, with anti-Semitism | Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/04/2008 ] ]

ee also

*Saint Mary (Iranian film)
*Iranian cinema

Notes and references

External links

* [http://cmi.irib.ir/messiah/ Official English website]
* [http://www.adimtv.com/mesih/index.php?renk=1 Official Iranian website]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4NCgElhqrg Trailer 1]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1hwXhAErts Trailer 2]
* [http://dangoldfinch.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/an-islamic-view-of-the-messiah-a-new-film-about-a-cross-less-christ/ An Islamic View of the Messiah: A New Film about a Cross-less Christ]
* [http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/03/06/raman.iran.jesus.movie.cnn CNN Movie trailer and interview]
* [http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=4297085&page=1 ABC News trailer and interview]
* [http://theagora.blogspot.com/2008/04/messiah-yesus-tidak-pernah-disalibkan.html A Review From Indonesia]
* [http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080321/31609_Muslim's_Cross-Less_Jesus_Film_Draws_Mixed_Reactions.htm Muslim's Cross-Less Jesus Film Draws Mixed Reactions]
* [http://www.gilroydispatch.com/lifestyles/241633-read-the-quran-and-find-out-for-yourself Read the Qur'an and find out for yourself]