TEHRAN – “Intoxicated by Love”, also known as “Drunk on Love”, an Iran-Turkey joint film project shot by Iranian director Hassan Fat’hi in Turkey in 2019, will be completed by the end of summer, producer Mehran Borumand has said. 

“Several short scenes have been left unfinished due to the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus and are scheduled to be completed after the restrictions are lifted and the borders reopen,” Borumand said. 

“Due to the current situation, we estimate that the entire project will be completed by the end of summer and the film will be ready for screening, however, the screening time will be based on the film screening situation in Iranian movie theaters and around the world, since this is a joint production and must be screened in Iran and Turkey simultaneously,” he added.

He also said that Fat’hi will accompany the team through the end of the project and will supervise the entire post-production stage.

Fat’hi started shooting “Intoxicated by Love” in Konya in October focusing on the lives of the Persian poet and mystic Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi and Shams-i Tabrizi, the wandering sage who later became the mentor of Rumi in the 13th century CE.

The Iranian actors Parsa Piruzfar and Shahab Hosseini star as Rumi and Shams respectively while Turkish TV star Hande Erçel plays the role of Kimia, Rumi’s stepdaughter and Shams’ lover.

Turkish actor Ibrahim Çelikkol and Iranian actor Hesam Manzur are the other members of the cast.

“Intoxicated by Love” was written by Fat’hi himself and his fellow Iranian writer Farhad Tohidi in consultation with Mohammad-Ali Movahhed, a top Iranian expert on Rumi.

Rumi undertook journeys to Syria, during one of which he met the dervish, Shams. 

He was deeply influenced by Shams during their second visit in Konya and for months, the two men constantly interacted, and as a result, Rumi neglected his disciples and family, who could not tolerate the close relationship. 

One night in 1247, Shams disappeared forever. This experience turned Rumi into a poet. The Divan of Shams is a true translation of his experiences into poetry.

The ENG Yapim Medya Organization from Istanbul is one of the sponsors of the project.

Cinematographer Morteza Pursamadi, film editor Sepideh Abdolvahhab and makeup artist Iman Omidvari, all from Iran, and Sahin Karakus, Aytekin Yalçin, Tolga Tosun and Fatih Koca, all from Turkey, are collaborating in the project.

Photo: Shahab Hosseini acts in a scene from the co-production between Iran and Turkey “Intoxicated by Love” by Iranian director Hassan Fat’hi.

RM/MMS/YAW