French institute to show documentary on scholar of Shiism Mohammad Ali AmirMoezzi

French institute to show documentary on scholar of Shi’ism Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi

TEHRAN-The documentary “The Professional” directed and produced by Masoud Taheri will be screened at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) in Paris, France, on April 28.

It is a film about the life and works of professor Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi, a French-Iranian scholar of Shi’ism, Honaronline reported.

The EPHE is a public higher education institution of training and research, both in the humanities and social sciences and basic and applied sciences based at the Sorbonne University in Paris.

Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi, 69, is an Islamologist at the EPHE. He is one of the leading academics within the study of early Twelver Shi’ism.

Several speakers are planned to deliver speeches at the session before the film screening, including French art historian and president of EPHE Michel Hochmann, director of the department of Patronage and Endowment Fund at the EPHE Marie-Pierre Lamotte, and director of studies at the EPHE Constance Arminjon.

Amir-Moezzi will also be present at the session and will speak to the audience after the film is screened, along with the director of the work Masoud Taheri.

The documentary aims to educate the global community and, in particular, Amir-Moezzi’s homeland, Iran, on the intellectual insights of a scholar who remains largely unknown both within Iran and internationally. 

As an expert on Shi’a doctrine, his views directly relate to current religious and political trends in Iran. Thus, the documentary provides this exiled academic with the opportunity to engage first-hand with his audience. 

The film also aims to clarify how Amir-Moezzi’s intellectual stance differs from the dominant religious studies and Islamic intellectualist discourses. The film has already achieved great success, having been featured in the national competition of the 18th edition of the Cinema Verité Festival.

Born in Tehran, Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi was the former director of studies at the Religious Sciences Section of the EPHE.

After studying in Tehran and Paris, he obtained a doctorate from the University of Paris-III and the EPHE in 1991 on the subject “Figure of the Imam and the birth of the Shia Islam, 2nd-4th century of the Hegira” with the mention “Very Honorable with unanimous congratulations”. His doctoral thesis was awarded the first prize of the Mahvi Foundation in Geneva for the best doctoral thesis in Islam Studies.

Since 2015, he has been organizing monthly seminars at the University of Paris (PSL) with professors Gilles Kepel and Bernard Rougier.

Masoud Taheri is an Iranian writer, researcher, director, and film producer. He combines his technical knowledge with his background in Persian literature, history, and philosophical studies to produce philosophical, mystical, and cultural films with a scientific approach and a focus on the history of philosophy, wisdom, and mysticism in the World, as well as Shi’i history and theology.

His recent works include the documentaries “Al Kafi” about Shi’i hadith compiler al-Kulayni, “The Seeker of Orient” on the life and works of French philosopher and Iranologist Henry Corbin, and “The Eastern” on the legacy of Japanese scholar Toshihiko Izutsu.

Photo: Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi (L) and Masoud Taheri

SS/SAB
 

source: tehrantimes.com