Draft:Imam Ali (tv series)

Dāvūd Mīrbāqirī
Birth name	Sayyid Muḥammad Dāvūd Mīrbāqirī
Born	May 29, 1958 Shahrud
Nationality	Iranian
Awards	Omri ba Qur'an Festival • Ammar Film Festival • Razavi Film Festival • Jame Jam TV Festival

Sayyid Dāvūd Mīrbāqirī (Persian: سید داوود میرباقری; b. 1337 Sh/1958) is a director and screenwriter in the religious field and the creator of historical-religious series such as Imām ʿAlī (a), Mukhtārnāma, The Traveller of Rey (Musāfir-i Rayy), and Maʿṣūmiyyat-i az Dast Rafta (Lost Innocence). He studied at the Seminary of Shahrud and later at the University of Tehran in Mining Engineering before turning to art.

Mīrbāqirī has been praised for his skill in writing dialogues and blending history and art. Throughout his professional life, he has won numerous cultural and artistic awards, including appreciation from the then-President of Iran for the TV series Mukhtārnāma and receiving awards from festivals such as the Ammar Film Festival, Razavi Film Festival, Jame Jam Festival, and the Donyaye Tasvir Celebration (Hafiz Awards).

Filmmaker of History of Islam and Shi'ism

Dāvūd Mīrbāqirī behind the scenes of the series Mukhtārnāma (scene of the entry of Muslim b. Aqil into Kufa)

Dāvūd Mīrbāqirī is one of the filmmakers and screenwriters in the religious field. He has written or directed numerous works on the subject of the history of Islam. Dāvūd Mīrbāqirī has always been positively criticized by filmmakers and critics. He has been praised in the field of dialogue writing. His critics have stated that Mīrbāqirī correctly integrates history and art in his works.

Mīrbāqirī believes that showing the faces of Imams and religious figures is religiously permissible (Shar'i) and would not cause a problem; however, due to certain considerations, he has always abstained from showing the faces of Shi'a Imams in his works. He cited this issue as the reason for his reluctance to make a film about the life of Lady Khadija (a). In this regard, Mīrbāqirī considers the film Mukhtārnāma better than the film Imām ʿAlī (a); because in Mukhtārnāma, the work proceeds with a depictable character as the subject, whereas in the film Imām ʿAlī, the main role of the film is not shown in any sequence. According to him, history has only reported the turning points of events. Therefore, in his historical works, 30 percent is fidelity to history and 70 percent is the imagination and fiction of the writer and director.

Mīrbāqirī has won several cultural and artistic awards in his artistic life. He was praised by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the then-President of Iran, for making the film Mukhtārnāma and won the special statue of the Donyaye Tasvir Celebration. He has also been appreciated and honored in various festivals such as the "A Life with the Qur'an" conference, Ammar Film Festival, Razavi Film Festival, and Jame Jam TV Festival. He has also received the Medal of Honor for "Jihadist in the field of Culture and Art".

Life

Sayyid Muḥammad Dāvūd Mīrbāqirī, known as Dāvūd Mīrbāqirī, was born on Khordad 8, 1337 Sh (May 29, 1958) in the village of Khīj in Shahrud. Mīrbāqirī began his education in his native village and went to the Seminary of Shahrud at the age of 11. At the age of 13, Mīrbāqirī returned to academic education and stayed in Shahrud until receiving his diploma. He entered the University of Tehran in the field of Mining Engineering and began his artistic activity in 1359 Sh/1980 after passing a three-year theater training course at "City Theater" (Teār-i Shahr).

Mīrbāqirī joined the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) in 1361 Sh/1982. He experienced cinema for the first time by writing and directing the film "Adam Barfi" (The Snowman). One of his most important TV series is the Imām ʿAlī series, which was produced between 1370 Sh/1991 and 1375 Sh/1996, depicting the life of Imam Ali (a) in the years leading up to his caliphate and his martyrdom. His other famous series was Mukhtārnāma, which dealt with the history of the character Mukhtār al-Thaqafī. After completing the production of Mukhtārnāma, Mīrbāqirī began the production of the Salmān Fārsī series centering on the life of Salmān Fārsī in Azar 1398 Sh/December 2019.

Mīrbāqirī has directed or written various films and plays on social and historical subjects. The Imām ʿAlī series was his first major religious series, for which he was responsible for writing and directing. Later, he directed the movie The Traveller of Rey and the TV series Maʿṣūmiyyat-i az Dast Rafta (Lost Innocence). Mukhtārnāma and Salmān Fārsī have been the latest works of this director on religious subjects.