TEHRAN- The Iranian animated film “The Legend of Sepehr” held its premiere screening at the Minab Martyrs' Cemetery on Thursday evening.

Directed by Emad Rahmani and Mehrdad Mehrabi and produced by the Mahva Entertainment Industry Factory, the animation was screened for free. Following the premiere, additional screenings are also scheduled to accommodate the local community, IRNA reported. 

The project has committed all sales proceeds from the beginning of Farvardin 1405 (March 21, 2026) until the end of its theatrical run to the reconstruction and development of Minab, the report added. 

Following the recent tragic events, the city has been described by organizers as “the heart of Iran.”

Last year, “The Legend of Sepehr” won the Best Animation award at the New York International Film Awards (NYIFA).

In a fabled land, a young boy named Sepehr and his loyal cheetah, Baboo, embark upon a brave yet light-hearted quest to rescue their family and friends from the clutches of Ahriman, the dark lord of evil, who seeks an eternal reign of shadows. 

From peaceful island life to chaotic adventures across mystical lands, this duo faces monsters, meets eccentric allies, and discovers the power of laughter along their journey. As they strive to defeat Ahriman and save their world, Sepehr and Baboo prove that sometimes, the greatest weapon against darkness is a heart and an unbreakable spirit. 

Emad Rahmani, 35, is the CEO at Permanent Way Entertainment, a game and animation studio. He has managed and directed more than ten projects. He has also published plenty of game screenplays and essays.

On February 28, the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan province, became the site of a devastating massacre as the United States and Israel initiated their strikes against Iran. While dozens of girls and boys aged between 7 and 12 were beginning their lessons, the school was targeted by a missile strike that caused the building to collapse, trapping children and teachers beneath the rubble. Iranian authorities confirmed a final death toll of 168 people, with at least 95 others wounded, marking one of the most harrowing incidents of the conflict's opening day.

Despite attempts by US and Israeli authorities to distance themselves from the carnage as images of the tragedy spread across social media, detailed forensic and digital investigations have painted a starkly different picture. An analysis by Al Jazeera’s digital investigations unit, utilizing over a decade of satellite imagery and recent video clips, revealed that the school was a clearly distinct civilian facility, separated from any adjacent military sites for at least ten years. Furthermore, witness accounts and satellite-based analyses confirmed that the school was triple tapped by three separate, deliberate strikes, leaving no doubt about the nature of the attack.

The international community has faced mounting evidence regarding the responsibility for this atrocity, with investigations from major global outlets including The New York Times, BBC Verify, CBC, and NPR all concluding that the United States was responsible for the strike. These findings have raised fundamental questions about the intelligence used to justify the bombing, as the patterns of the strike suggest a direct targeting of a civilian educational institution. The Minab school tragedy now stands as a somber testament to the immense human cost of the aggression and a focal point for those demanding international accountability.

SAB/