TEHRAN -- “Mazar-i-Sharif”, about the murder of Iranian diplomats and a journalist in Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998, premiered in Tehran on Sunday.

Director Abdolhassan Barzideh, Mohsen Momeni-Sharif, the director of the Art Bureau, which is the distributor of the film, some members of the cast and crew attended a special ceremony held at Esteqlal Cinema.

“We thank our cinema and its cineastes for not allowing this tragedy be consigned to oblivion,” Momeni-Sharif said before the film was screened.

“Abdolhassan Barzideh hired A-list actors and technicians of Iranian cinema, including Alireza Zarrindast, Hossein Yari and Mahtab Keramati, to make the film, all whom joined the project as a national duty,” he added.

He said, “We should promote the film because such a movie focuses on radicalism and also reveals Takfiris’ dark and violent thoughts.”

Ten Iranian diplomats and a journalist were killed by Sipah-e-Sahaba, a Pakistani Sunni group with close ties to the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence. A diplomat named Allahdad Shahsavan narrowly escaped death. An Afghan family helped him reach Iran after 19 days of walking on a dangerous route.
An interview with Shahsavan inspired Barzideh to spotlight the subject in 1998. However, he was unable to realize his plan to make a movie about the story due to the political sensitivity of the issue.

Members of the diplomats’ families were also in attendance at the premiere of the movie. They received flowers and plaques of honor from the cast and crew.

Photo: Hossein Yari (L) and Mahtab Keramati act in a scene from “Mazar-i-Sharif”.

MMS/YAW
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