Canadas Muslim International Film Festival excludes Irans Ahmad amid political pressure

Canada’s Muslim International Film Festival excludes Iran’s “Ahmad” amid political pressure

TEHRAN- Iranian film “Ahmad,” directed by Amir Abbas Rabiei, has been removed from screening at the 5th Muslim International Film Festival (MIFF) in Toronto, Canada.

The film recounts the untold story of the first 18 hours following the devastating 2003 Bam earthquake in Kerman province, highlighting a heroic action by the late Army Brigadier General Ahmad Kazemi. It was scheduled to be screened on Saturday.

This decision came after interference from opposition media and a protest by Canadian MP Kevin Vuong, who described the showcasing of a film honoring an IRGC commander as "abhorrent."

Due to this pressure, the festival organizers quickly excluded the film from their lineup.

The Canadian government designated the IRGC as a terrorist entity in July. This classification allows law enforcement to charge anyone who provides financial or material support to the IRGC, and banks are authorized to freeze its assets.

In addition to “Ahmad,” six other short Iranian films are being screened in various sections of the festival, which will run until December 3.
 
One of the most notable soldiers in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, Ahmad Kazemi (1958-2006) mobilized the IRGC AF fleet to rescue the Bam earthquake victims by preparing the Bam Airport in such a way that, a plane and a helicopter flew in every 13 minutes and a total of 30,000 wounded were moved by the IRGC AF fleet.

As the Iran–Iraq war began, Kazemi joined the war with a 50-member group in Abadan fronts and began fighting with Iraq. Direct presence at the front-line led to injuries to his leg, hands, and back. After the end of the war, he attended the university and got a BA in geography and a master's degree in management and defense spending. He made his doctoral studies in the field of national defense. 

Kazemi was appointed to the Air Forces of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (IRGC AF) Commander in 2000. He was appointed as Commander of the Ground Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 2005 by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

During his tenure in the IRGC Air Force, Kazemi took effective measures to improve the quality of the air force in terms of organization and structure, and for the first time equipped the IRGC AF with close air support Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft, and equipped the IRGC AF helicopter organization with purchased Mil Mi-17 helicopters. 

He was killed when the Dassault Falcon 20 plane that was carrying him, alongside 10 other occupants, crashed near Urmia. The plane crash-landed in a field in poor weather conditions. Reports indicate that the crew did not get three greens after selecting the gear down while on approach to Urmia Airport. A fly-past was done so the control tower could observe the status of the landing gear. While circling the airplane suffered a double engine flame-out, reportedly as a result of engine icing. An emergency landing was attempted in a field, but the plane crashed.

SAB/

source: tehrantimes.com