Holy Spider is a co-production of France, Germany, Sweden, as well as Denmark that has been filmed in Jordan.
The cinematic work was hosted by the Cannes Film Festival 2022.
It goes without saying that the production of the movie and its appearance at the festival was in line with the threadbare Iranophobia project.
“Iranophobia” is a keyword that has been used by the enemies to undermine the status of Iran over the past years.
The threadbare project has been repeatedly reacted by the high-ranking officials of Iran, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in particular.
Let us turn the pages of history and read the remarks of the leader in this regard.
On February 8, 2014, Ayatollah Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with commanders and personnel of the Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army said that “all nations throughout the world know the people of Iran to be a brave, honest, intelligent and resisting people despite the fact that many efforts have been made and many propaganda tools have been used against the Islamic Republic.”
“For a while, the propaganda and political networks of the enemies of the people of Iran focused all their efforts on creating Iranophobia,” he underlined.
“Some of them focused their efforts on creating Islamophobia and some of them on Iranophobia. Nevertheless, the popularity of the people of Iran increased among nations throughout the world,” he further noted.
What was the scenario?
The scenario is about a movie titled “Holy Spider” directed by Denmark-based Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi. The cinematic work is based on a true story about a serial killer in Mashhad, home to the shrine of Imam Reza (AS).
The co-production premiered at this year’s Cannes, which awarded the France-based Iranian star of the film as best actress for her portrayal of a journalist tracking the serial killer.
Following the Cannes awards ceremony, the Iranian organization of Cinema and Audiovisual Affairs, in a statement, condemned the fake content of the movie.
The film has shown a distorted image of Iranian society and insulted the transcendent beliefs of the Shiites, the statement said.
With the political choice of the poor cinematic work, according to many international critics, a crucial question has been created in the professional record of the international festival, the statement added.
Condemning the festival's moves and declaring its innocence and those cinematographers are the causes of this black-image work, the Organization stresses that France and the Cannes Film Festival must be held accountable for the hurt feelings of millions of Shia Muslims in the world and clean the anticultural stigma from their professional record, the statement noted.
Soon after, Iran Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili said that the possible domestic elements who have backed the creation of the controversial movie "Holy Spider" will be punished.
Esmaeili said that the major crew members of the film reside in foreign countries and if anyone inside the country assisted in making the movie, will face punitive measures from the Iranian organization of Cinema and Audiovisual Affairs.
Ayatollah Qorbanali Dorri Najafabadi, Vice-President of the Ahl Ul-Bayt Global Society issued a message condemning the display of the movie.
In his message, the cleric denounced the film for showing an anti-Islam image of the Iranian people and called it a plot hatched by the enemies of Islam.
He stressed that such plots cannot affect the Iranian nation’s respect for the Prophet Mohammad’s Ahl Ul-Bayt, especially Imam Reza.
In another statement, 8000 eulogists from Iran have slammed the production of the movie.
The film has insulted not only the eighth Shi'ite Imam but also Islam and all divine religions, the statement reads.
It is the duty of all Muslims and lovers of the Imam not to be indifferent to the heinous act, the statement notes, calling on all Muslims to condemn the movie.
The eulogists who have signed the statement have urged the authorities to ban those involved in the production of the movie from creating cinematic works on Iranian TV.
Al-Mustafa International University in a statement slammed the production of "Holy Spider" and called for taking legal action against the cast and crew.
Behind the scenes of the blatant insult, the hostile policies of Zionism can be seen, which is aimed at overthrowing the Islamic sanctities in the eyes of individuals, especially the younger generation, and weaken their religious beliefs, the statement reads.
Al-Mustafa International University condemned the production and screening of this anti-Islamic and anti-Iranian work, which is desperately trying to present an inhuman image of Iranian society with a distorted narrative by insulting religious sanctities.
Compiled and translated by Amin Mohammadzadegan Khoyi