Art & Culture April 20, 2021 3 This Day in History Top-Notch Documentary (April 20)

Today is Tuesday; 31st of the Iranian month of Farvardin 1400 solar hijri; corresponding to 7th of the Islamic month of Ramadhan 1442 lunar hijri; and Hits French Silverscreens April 20, 2021, of the Christian Gregorian Calendar. 1444 lunar years ago, on this day in the second year prior to Hijra, Abu-Taleb, the was named the most successful the 60th Krakow Film Festival in father of Imam Ali (AS) and uncle and protector of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), passed away in Mecca. On the death of his father Abdul-Muttaleb, he and his documentary films in Iranian Poland. wife, Fatema bint Asad, had taken charge of the 8-year orphan of Abdullah, his cinema, which entered 37 presti- Nominated for the Open City deceased brother, and brought up the future Prophet as their own son. Abu Taleb gious international film festivals Award at the 2020 Open City was a staunch monotheist following the creed of his ancestor, Prophet Abraham, and when God formally appointed his now 40-year old nephew as the Last and and won 14 acclaims. Documentary Festival in the UK, Greatest Messenger to mankind, he firmly believed in the message of Islam and Oskouee’s ‘Sunless Shadows’ Oskouee’s doc won the main protected the Prophet against the taunts and attacks of the pagan Arabs. When is the continuation of his trilogy prize of the festival’s Internation- the Meccans imposed the social-economic boycott on the Prophet, he took his nephew and the whole neo Muslim community under his protection to the safety about children and adolescents at al Competition section at the 8th of the gorge outside Mecca which is still called “She’b Abi Taleb” in his honour. Iran’s Correction and Rehabilita- CinéDOC-Tbilisi Documentary His death saddened the Prophet and since earlier in the same year, the Prophet’s tion Center. Film Festival in Georgia. loyal wife, the Mother of all True Believers (Omm al-Momineen) Hazrat Khadija also passed away, the year is known in Islamic history as “Aam al-Hozn” (Year ‘Sunless Shadows’ previously Most recently, ‘Sunless Shad- of Grief). opened the 2019 International ows’ won Human Rights award 1218 lunar years ago, on this day in 224 AH Ibrahim bin Mahdi, stepbrother of Documentary Film Festival Am- - Bronze Goal at the Millenni- the Abbasid tyrant Haroun Rashid, died at the age of 62 in Baghdad. Born of an African concubine and known as Ibn Shakla because of his dark complexion, he sterdam in the Netherlands, which um Documentary Film Festival was proclaimed as caliph in Baghdad in 201 AH by the Abbasids in protest to the A still from Iranian documentary ‘Sunless Shadows’ . was the film’s international pre- in Belgium, Best Documentary seemingly pro-Hashemite policies of the reigning caliph, his nephew Mamoun, TEHRAN (IFILM) -- Iranian young women who are jailed in miere and brought the festival’s award at the Silk Road Interna- in declaring the Prophet’s 8th Infallible Heir, Imam Reza (AS) as Heir Apparent. world acclaimed documentary a small juvenile detention center best director award to Oskouee. tional Film Festival in China, Two years later in 203 AH, with the Mamoun’s return to Baghdad after martyring Imam Reza through poisoning in Tous, he resigned and spent the rest of his life ‘Sunless Shadows’ is set to go on for murder, is currently getting The Iranian doc also opened Best Film award at the Middle as a singer and a musician. Ibn Shakla reportedly had a phenomenal vocal range. silver screens in France. French subtitle in Paris and will the 11th Middle East Now fes- East Now in Italy, and the jury’s 1119 solar years ago, on this day in 902 AD, Amr ibn Layth, the second ruler Made by Mehrdad Oskouee, be soon released in French cin- tival in Italy and grabbed Silver Special Mention at the Zagreb- of the Saffarid Dynasty of Iran, was executed in Baghdad after a reign of 22 years, by the self-styled caliph, Mu’tamid, on falling victim to the Abbasid bait to the 74-minute documentary, emas. Horn award for the Best Direc- Dox International Documentary militarily confront the powerful fellow Iranian Samanid Dynasty of Central Asia which narrates the story of five Last year, ‘Sunless Shadows’ tor and the Student Jury award at Film Festival in Croatia. and suffering defeat, capture, and handover to the caliph. 1081 lunar years ago, on this day in 361 AH, the grand al-Azhar Mosque and Madrasah was officially opened by Jowhar as-Saqali, the Sicilian general of the Fatemid Ismaili Shi’ite dynasty who completed the grand project three years after Iranian Film En Route to U.S. Festival conquering Egypt and establishing the city of Cairo, as the new capital of the TEHRAN (IFILM) -- Iranian cluding the 6th TweetFest Film Empire that now stretched from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.”al-Azhar” is a derivative of “az-Zahra” (or the Radiant), the famous epithet of Hazrat short flick ‘Mandatory’ has been Festival in the UK, the 2020 Vi- Fatema (SA) the daughter of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) in whose honour the selected to compete at the 2021 sioni Corte Film Festival in Ita- mosque and the religious school were built. The Fatemids restored the full form edition of the Kanab Interna- ly, the 2020 Ojai Film Festival of the Azaan or call for the daily prayers, from the minarets of al-Azhar and other mosques, by bearing testimony to the imamate of Imam Ali (AS) after the tional Film in the U.S. in the U.S., the 2020 Charlotte Prophethood of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). The phrase “hayya ala khayr il- Written and directed by Mo- Film Festival, the 6th Burien amal”, meaning “hasten to the best of deeds”, which was dropped from the Azaan hammad-Javad Khoursha, the Film Festival in the U.S., and by the second caliph, was also revived. Exactly, a year later on this same date in 362 AH, the Fatemid caliph, al-Mu’iz le-Dinillah arrived in his new capital Cairo, short title narrates the story of a the 2020 Vancouver Island from Mahdia in what is now Tunisia, the then capital of the Fatemid state. soldier on the firing squad who Short Film Festival in Canada. 931 lunar years ago, on this day in 511 AH, the famous Imami theologian, has been caught in a dilemma. The Kanab Film Festival aims Seyyed Abu’l-Makarem Ibn Zuhra, was born in Aleppo, Syria. He studied in Najaf in Iraq under prominent students of the famous scholar Abu Ja’far Shaykh Between morality and work to provide new filmmakers with at-Tayefa Tousi, and on return to Syria groomed several scholars. He has left responsibility, he does not a platform to showcase their behind several books including “al-Ghunyah” on fiqh. He passed away in 585 know which one to pick. films. AH. 624 solar years ago, on this day in 1397 AD, Mahmud I, the 5th king of the Soheil Karamyar, Soheil Qa- The third edition of the event Bahmani kingdom of Iranian origin of the Deccan (southern India) died in his nnadan, Armin Boshrouyeh, among the cast members of the The short film has participated will be held on April 29-May 2, capital Gulbarga after a reign of 19 years. His son Ghiyas od-Din succeeded him, and Fatemeh Radmanesh are flick. in a number of film festivals, in- 2021. but was blinded and imprisoned by the Turkish slave Lalchin Khan, who placed the younger brother, Shams od-Din on the throne. Five months later, Lalchin and his puppet were deposed by Mahmoud Shah’s cousin Taj od-Din Firouz Shah, the greatest ruler of the dynasty who reigned for 25 years. The Bahmanis patronized and promoted Persian language and poetry, as well as Iranian art, culture, and Animation ‘Benjamin’ Sweeps architecture in the Deccan by inviting from Iran thousands of qualified persons in various fields. The famous Iranian poet Hafez Shirazi was also invited, but Awards at Tanzanian Festival changed his mind midway through the journey, sending an excellent piece of poetry to the Bahmani court. The famous Gnostic of Kerman, Shah Ne’matollah TEHRAN (MNA) – Iranian Kwetu International Ani- Wali, was also requested to come to the Deccan, and instead sent his grandson animation ‘Benjamin’ directed mation Film Festival (KI- and later son, who preached the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt in the Bahmani kingdom. by Mohsen Enayati has won AFF) is newly born Festival 498 lunar years ago, on this day in 944 AH, one of the renowned historians two main awards at Kwetu in Tanzania. KIAFF provides and poets, Seyyed Nizam od-Din Mohammad M’asoum Safai Tirmizi, who wrote under the penname “Naami”, was born in India. His ancestors were from International Animation Film a large-scale setting for pre- Qandahar in Afghanistan. He and his father served the Sultans of Gujarat in Festival (KIAFF) in Tanzania. senting the beautiful works western India. He has left behind valuable books, such as “Tibb-e Naami” on medicine. He passed away in 1019 AH. Animation’s synopsis reads of world animated films with 482 lunar years ago, on this day in 960 AH, Ottoman admiral Turgut Raees took ‘Benjamin’s clumsy yet a special focus on East Afri- control of the Mediterranean island of Corsica and the city of Catania in Malta, to sweet friend, Asher, screws can Animation films. free some seven thousand Muslim captives. He gave Corsica to the French, who A still from Iranian animation ‘Benjamin’ . soon lost it to the Spanish. up. This leads to Benjamin’s 269 solar years ago, on this day in 1752 AD, started the Konbaung–Hanthawaddy mother being captured by War, a new phase in the Burmese Civil War (1740–57). It was fought between the Konbaung Dynasty and the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom of Burma the king’s soldiers. Benja- (Myanmar) from 1752 to 1757. The war was the last of several wars between the min decides to embark on a Burmese-speaking north and the Mon-speaking south that ended the Mon people’s hazardous journey to save centuries-long dominance of the south. The fall of the 16-year-old southern kingdom soon followed in May 1757 when its capital Pegu (Bago) was sacked. his mother. This makes the 252 solar years ago, on this day in 1769 AD, the Amerindian chief of Ottawa, beginning of Asher and Ben- Obwandiyag or Pontiac, as he was called by the British, against whom he resisted, was assassinated. He struggle against British military occupation of the jamin’s adventure.” Great Lakes region began in the May 1763 when Pontiac and followers attempted Bahman Sabz Cultural to take Fort Detroit. In July 1763, he defeated a British detachment at the Battle Center, which previous- of Bloody Run, but was unable to capture Detroit. In October he lifted the siege and withdrew to the Illinois Country. The British resorted to diplomacy and as the ly premiered award-win- talks prolonged his influence grew, until he was treacherously killed. ning animations ‘The Ele- 213 solar years ago, on this day in 1808 AD, Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, later President Louis Napoleon of the First French Republic and then Napoleon phant King’ and ‘Princess III of the Second French Empire, was born in Paris to Louis Bonaparte – younger of Rome’, is broadcasting brother of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and king of Holland from 1805-to-1810. 132 solar years ago, on this day in 1889 AD, Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler, was ‘Benjamin’. born in Braunau am Inn, a town in Austria-Hungary (in present day Austria), ‘Benjamin’ has previously close to the border with the German Empire. garnered the best-animat- 77 solar years ago, on this day in 1944 AD, Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Hassan Najafi Qochani, Khorasan, passed away in his hometown Qochan at ed creation award from the the age of 67. Among his prominent works is “Journey to the Unseen World 32nd edition of the Inter- Man”, in which he dwells on the human being’s instinctive desires to have an understanding of afterlife, or the life after death and the state of the Barzakh – the national Film Festival for interval between death and Resurrection. Children and Youth Awards 34 solar years ago, on this day in 1987 AD, the Iranian Islamic scholar and in Iran. exegete of the Holy Qur’an, Mohammad Taqi Shariati, passed away at the age of 80. He studied Islamic sciences in the holy city of Mashhad, and published The Best Character award several books after setting up the Association for Publication of Islamic Facts. and the Best Feature Film He was the father of the sociologist Ali Shariati, who was martyred by the Shah’s Kalpouregan in Sistan and Baluchestan province is the only living pottery museum in the world. Female Baluchi dreaded security force, SAVAK, in London. award went to Benjamin at artists have saved and kept the art of pottery from generation to generation for nearly 7000 years. These women 11 solar years ago, on this day in the year 2010 AD, an explosion in the Deepwater Kwetu International Anima- Horizon oil platform of the British Petroleum Company, led to leakage of oil in create unique artworks out of dust and mud using no tools which has brought them worldwide fame. the Gulf of Mexico off the US coast on a huge scale. tion Film Festival. Courtesy of IFP News