‘Arbaeen Cinema’ to feature films for pilgrims on Arbaeen walk

A special Iranian mukab along the Najaf to Karbala route is set to host daily film screenings for pilgrims participating in the Arbaeen walk.

The event, dubbed ‘Arbaeen Cinema’, will be held by the Bahman Sabz Cultural and Advertising Institute in partnership with the Basij Organization of Tehran Municipality.

From August 14 to August 24, the Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (AS) Mukab will offer eight film screenings each day as part of this cultural initiative.

The goal is to provide both entertainment and cultural enrichment to pilgrims from Iran and abroad throughout the Arbaeen observance.

The ‘Arbaeen Cinema’ will show several films from different genres, including biography, historical drama, and children's animation.

The selected films are ‘Passion of Love’ directed by Dariush Yari, Seyyed Mojtaba Tabatabaee’s ‘Okht-o-Reda’, Hossein Darabi’s ‘Henas’, and the animated feature ‘Ilya in Search of a Hero’ directed by Seyyed-Ali Mousavi-Nejad.

‘Passion of Love’ follows Selma as she advocates for the truth of the martyrdom of Karbala captives, led by Hazrat Zeinab (SA), on their journey from Kufa to Sham.

‘Okht-o-Reda’ recounts the tragic journey of Hazrat Masumeh (SA) as she travels from Medina to Khorasan to reunite with her brother, Imam Reza (AS), and faces adversity along the way.

‘Henas’ tells the story of the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Dariush Rezainejad in 2011 from the perspective of his wife, showing the tragic events surrounding his martyrdom.

‘Ilya in Search of a Hero’ follows Arash, an 11-year-old boy, as he navigates a virtual reality game based on the conquest of the Khaybar Fortress by Imam Ali (AS) and uncovers family secrets that put their safety at risk.

This mobile screening project aims to introduce Iranian films and documentaries to regions without cinemas, broadening the reach of cultural and artistic content.

Arbaeen event, the largest annual global peaceful gathering, sees millions of Shia Muslims marching towards Karbala to mark the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions. Mukabs along the route play a vital role, providing food, drink, and shelter to the pilgrims.