TEHRAN – At the same time as the international screening begins, Hassan Fatih’s Iranian-Turkish co-production film “Drunk in Love” has signed a distribution deal for North America.
The global release of “In Toxicated by Love” began last week on October 16th in eight European countries. The film received an enthusiastic reception and all tickets for the first three days of screening were sold out, IRNA reported.
The film will be distributed in Europe by AF Media Group. The film will soon be released in Russia, India and the Persian Gulf countries, followed by North America.
The film is currently being shown in 335 cinemas in various cities in Turkey, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Norway and Austria.
This biographical historical drama tells the story of the friendship between the great Iranian poet Molana (Mevlana) Jalal al-Din Rumi and the wandering sage Shams Tabrizi, who later became Rumi’s mentor in the 13th century.
The film chronicles the love that Rumi had for Shams and Shams’ great influence on Rumi in his life, poetry, and love for God.
Rumi travels to Syria and along the way meets Shams, a dervish. He was deeply influenced by Shams during his second visit to Konya, and for several months the two were in constant contact, resulting in Rumi neglecting his disciples and family members who could not tolerate the close relationship.
One night in 1247, Shams disappeared forever. This experience turned Rumi into a poet. The Divan of Shams is a true translation of his experiences into poetry.
“Drunk in Love” was released in Iran last year, attracting more than 2 million viewers and grossing 1.2 trillion rials (approximately $1 million), making it the highest-grossing non-comedy film of the year.
The screenwriters are Ethan Javanmarud and Farhad Tohidi. The cast includes Shahab Hosseini, Partsa Pirouzfal, Ibrahim Çelikol, Bence Solal, Bolan Kuzum, Selma Erciyes, Burak Toskoparan, Halit Ergenci, and Hande Ercel.
The filmmakers hope that the Turkish release of Drunken with Love will repeat its domestic box office success, thanks to Iran and Turkey’s cultural ties around Rumi and their shared admiration for the great mystical poet.
Producers say release deals have been signed in Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and Jordan, East Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and India, as well as Russia, the United States, Canada and South America.
Drunk in Love was filmed in Istanbul, Konya, Izmit and Gebze, and special sets were created to recreate the historical atmosphere. The visuals were shot by the late renowned Iranian film director Morteza Poursamadi.
The soundtrack features Alireza Ghorbani performing Rumi’s mystical poems and an original score composed by famous Turkish musician Fahir Atakor.
Film distribution in Türkiye is managed by Content Turkey.
SS/SAB