About

The Australian Cinémathèque is proud to present the Australian premiere of Muhammad: The Messenger of God, as part of the 'Pop Islam' cinema program for the 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art.

'I would like to say that the issues pertaining to Islam are very important not only in the Muslim world, but in the West as well. I have been trying to do my very best to spread the proper understanding of Islam. It is most unfortunate that the true spirit of Islam has been distorted, to a great extent because of politics. This is the reason why I wanted to make this film for the entire world rather than only for the Muslim world.' Majid Majidi

'Upon the order of Abraha, King of Habasha (Abyssinia), one of his army commanders launches an attack on Mecca in order to destroy the Kaaba, the pre-Islamic construction. He leads a well-equipped force comprised of thousands of soldiers, horses and elephants. As the army approaches Mecca, the elephants respond to divine order by halting and refusing to continue. Millions of small birds then release a hail of stones onto Abraha's forces and the army is annihilated. A month later, Muhammad, the future Prophet of Islam, is born. The film does not depict Muhammad himself but his world, the pagan age with all its tyranny and oppression as seen through the eyes of young Muhammad from birth to the age of 13.' Montreal World Film Festival