TEHRAN – Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) is welcoming International Quds Day by screening films on Palestine.

Seven movies will be shown on the Namayesh Network, an IRIB channel for screening films, in a weeklong program starting from April 23.

The beginning film is “Nagi El-Ali” by Egyptian filmmaker Atef El-Tayeb about Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali who was assassinated in London in 1987.

He was noted for his political criticism of the Arab regimes and Israel in his works.

Iranian director Habib Kavosh’s 1990 drama “Hidden Fire” has also been chosen to be screened on Sunday night.

Jacob, a Lebanese Jew, is shot dead at a private gathering along with a number of his companions by a group of people dressed as Palestinian combatants. Palestinian combatants learned that the terrorist attack has designed to incite public opinion against them. Therefore they begin to uncover the truth about the Israeli operation. 

Another film in the program is “The Buried Secret” by Iranian director Ali Ghaffari.

The film is about Amer Kalakish, also known as Abu Zeinab, a resistance fighter who died during an operation against an Israeli convoy in 1985. His operation killed 12 troopers in the Israeli occupation forces and wounded 14 others.

Iranian director Jamal Shurjeh’s “33 Days”, a film on the Israeli 33-Day War of 2006 against Lebanon, will also be screened.

Iranian director Parviz Sheikhtadi’s 2009 anti-Zionist drama, “Saturday's Hunter” is a highlight of the program.

The film is about a boy and his grandfather, who execute Arab civilians in order to steal their land.

The program also features Iranian director Seifollah Dad’s 1995 drama, “The Survivor”.

The film is based on Palestinian author Ghassan Kanafani’s novel “Returning to Haifa”. It tells the story of a Palestinian couple who goes back to Haifa after the 1967 war to look for their baby, whom they were forced to leave behind in the war of 1948.

The program will end with a screening of “Philadelphia” on April 29, which is International Quds Day.

Directed by Esmaeil Rahimzadeh, the film is about a group tasked to supply food and medicine to the Gaza Strip in connection with their human rights activities.

Photo: “Philadelphia” by Iranian director Esmaeil Rahimzadeh.

MMS/YAW