.jpg "A scene from “Songs of My Homeland”")
TEHRAN -- Iranian director Abbas Rafei has blended the story of a kidnapping by the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) in Rablah, Syria, with a love story in his latest film “Songs of My Homeland”.
The screenplay for the movie, which was commissioned by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, is based on a real-life story that was set in the central Syrian town, Rafei told the Persian service of MNA on Saturday.
The story is about man and woman who plan to hold their wedding ceremony in Rablah. The man leaves the town to make the arrangements for the wedding party. Meanwhile, the ISIS forces attack the town, kidnapping the bride and a number of women. The man begins a struggle to find his bride after he returns home.
“The cruelty of the ISIS terrorists and the desperateness of the people of the region are also depicted implicitly,” Rafei said.
Rafei shot the film in locations in Lebanon and Syria, where he previously made “Rebirth” (2007) and “The Strangers” (2009).
However, some explosion scenes have been shot on a set built for the film in a desert near Robat Karim, a town located 60 kilometers west of Tehran, due to security concerns.
Rafei said that an all-Arab cast was selected in order to make the characters more believable.
The film is scheduled to premiere at the 33rd Fajr International Film Festival, which will be held in Tehran in February 2015.
MMS/YAW
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