Moharram - Waiting for the Dawn

Where’s the best party on the axis of evil? Can you find true love in a nation of “evil-doers”?

Such questions are no less inappropriate than the biased image of today’s Iran Western media and politicians convey. Fuelled by the disquieting antics of a reactionary leader and the ever same news items on Muslim fanaticism and nuclear threats, Iran is progressively being reduced to a nation of potential terrorists and aggressors.

In the midst of a growing culture of fear, “Moharram – Waiting for the Dawn” offers an entirely different perspective and impartial look behind a façade that usually remains impenetrable. The spotlight is not cast on the political or religious leaders, but on the youth of Tehran, which makes up a staggering proportion of the population (70% of Tehran’s 14 million inhabitants are under 30 years old).

Revolving around the religious event of Moharram (the annual month of mourning in commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Hossein who died some 1400 years ago) the film explores the views of young people on the current living conditions in Iran - discovering striking parallels to Western society. The realisation that the protagonists, like young people everywhere, are struggling hard to determine their identity in the face of a rapidly changing global culture, makes for a great potential for identification for a western audience.