A Majidi Movie under the Shadow of Discussions
The Iranian director Majid Majidi’s long-awaited latest movie “Muhammad: The Messenger of God” was released on October 28. The movie that had 10 years of pre and post-production process was at the heart of harsh discussions even before any details were released about it. The discussions were centered in two areas. First was the opinion that finds it inappropriate to depict Prophet Muhammad even ...

Majidi's Portrayal of the Prophet and Its Analysis from a Histor
Fourteen centuries have passed over the divine call of the last prophet, Muhammad Mustapha (pbuh) - the call that had started in Mecca and invited people to unite around the common ground of monotheism. Within this period, countless works about the life of the Prophet have been published both in prose and in verse, in the West and the East. Scholarly or literary writing about the Prophet still c...

Qatar and Iran to make films about the Prophet
Iran and Qatar are bringing the life of the Prophet to cinemas around the world. Qatar-based Alnoor Holdings announced it will spend up to $1 billion for a series of epics based on the Prophet's lifestory, advised by a producer responsible for the cinematic version of the Lord of The Rings, as well as the Qatar-based Sunni scholar, Yusuf al-Qaradawi.  Meanwhile, Iranian director Majid Majidi beg...

British Teenager's 'Muhammad in Accrington... Inspiring Me' Film
Accrington teenager shortlisted for global accolade An East Lancashire teenager has beaten her peers across the world to be shortlisted for a global accolade. Hollins Technology College student Amna Aslam produced a short film ‘Muhammad In Accrington... Inspiring Me’ as part of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation Faith Shorts contest. [flvplayer videoUrl="/images/upload/media/muhammad-in-accrington-...

Yet Another Anti-Muslim Film: Obsession
An American Jewish rabbi has produced a film declaring war against Islam. Rabbi Raphael Shore claims to have declared war on Western "Radical" Islam with the DVD he has prepared, "Obsession". "Obsession" is a 2005 anti-Muslim propaganda film put together by controversial anti-Muslim figures to further the perceived divide between Western and Muslim audiences. Just when the presidential elections ...

Discovering the Code of Cinema in a Prophetic Anecdote
The miracles bestowed upon the prophets as divine endowments are instruments of test both for themselves and for the people who are subject to divine revelation, and through its contents beacons the horizon to the mankind. The rod given to Moses carries a message for the Pharaoh and his devotees. Besides; the rod which brought forth water from where it struck has inspired people for such works as...

Using Abstractions to Depict the Prophet in Cinema
Interview with film critic İhsan Kabil -Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind on the subject of "Prophets and the Cinema" are films about Jesus. What do you have to say about the approach of Western cinema to Jesus? Ever since the time of silent movies, cinema has approached Jesus' life in a very serious manner. American directors, in particular, depicted Jesus' life and put it on the scree...

"Can our Prophet be Depicted?"
Interview with Turkish film director, screenwriter and producer Mesut Uçakan -How do you evaluate the cinema potential in the Islamic world and how do you find films on the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)? We all know that a serious cinema sector has not developed in the Islamic world and that our dear brothers have not succeeded in this area. We should be one of the most advanced countries in this world...

"The Message is a Materialistic Film"
-Why aren't Muslims able to sufficiently reflect their heritage of faith and cultural values on the cinema screen? Western cinema, on the other hand, is quite comfortable with Christianity, the church and even Jesus... We can say that we are unable to successfully use the cinema not only in the area of religion, but in any area. We are a country that has lived a great rupture in the area of cul...

Will the Islamic World Produce Another "Message"?
A festival by the name Muslimfest has been held in Canada since 2004. The cinema section of the festival is sending a message to all directors who consider themselves liable to convey the Islamic values to the “global” context by making a movie. The deadline for applications is July 28th. Last year no one from Turkey participated in the festival, whereas this year, the only participant is the ama...

Can Cinema Be a Window of Truth?
  The momentary shadows cast on the "silver screen" by man's imagination earn the right to be born again in a different time and place by means of the cinema. A shadow cast in Hollywood is born again in Istanbul. Shadows travel inch-by-inch around the world... We followed the trail of the shadows. We pursued noble feelings, pure sorrow, harmless anger and universal truths on the silver screen whi...