Ebrahim Hatamikia as General Qassem Soleimani’s favorite director

Iranian auteur Ebrahim Hatamiki has always been admired by General Qassem Soleimani, particularly for his epic films ‘Chamran’ and ‘Damascus Time’. 

In an open letter to Hatamikia, Commander Soleimani called him “art chief” and wrote, “It was a rare opportunity to watch ‘Chamran’ after such a long time.”

“You are among the devoted people who could have an opportunity to portray one out of the thousands of these amazing people, and today, I cried in recalling the oppression of these forgotten people.

“Dear brother, don’t be bothered by sarcastic and remonstrant comments and do not think of the mundane Simorghs; just continue your work.”

‘Chamran’ depicts 48 hours of war veteran Mostafa Chamran’s life on August 16 and 17, 1979 when he was sent to command several military operations in the civil war in the Kordestan region.  

The film was premiered at the 32nd Fajr International Film Festival and won six Cyrstal Simorghs in several categories, including best editor and best actor.

Commander Soleimani also praised Hatamikia for his drama ‘Damascus Time’ on the atrocities of the Daesh terrorist group in Syria.

“I should express my thanks to Mr. Hatamikia for the groundbreaking work and this really amazing movie,” Soleimani had said after watching the film. “By his skills, he has been able to show a small portion of the bitter reality,” he said.

“By watching this film, people can better realize the grave threat against Islam, Shias and all of humanity. This is one of the most highly watchable movies, and it is extremely close to reality,” he noted.

In his 2016 political drama ‘The Bodyguard’, Hatamikia, who has always called himself Soleimani’s small soldier, also showed his deep affection for the General by the makeup he used to make his leading actor – played by Parviz Parastouee – resemble the senior commander.  

In a message published after Soleimani’s assassination, Hatamikia wrote, “I warmly embraced him many times, and yet, I found myself thirstier at the time of separation.”

Lt Gen Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, was martyred on January 3, 2020, in an airstrike by the US terrorist forces near Baghdad airport.

MM/FM