Muhammad (PBUH), a religious epic directed by world-renowned Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi, is set to hit national and international screens.

The cinematic production will hit the Iranian screens on August 27. Muhammad (PBUH) will have its international premiere at the 39th edition of Montreal World Film Festival in Canada. It will open the prestigious festival on the same day.

A number of Islamic countries have also proposed to purchase and screen Majidi’s latest production.

The holy city of Mecca depicted in a photograph by Miljen Kreka Kljakovic, production designer of Muhammad (PBUH) by Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi.

Croatian production designer Miljen Kreka Kljakovic has recently released a number of photos and sketches depicting the settings and various scenes of the film.

Muhammad (PBUH) is the first part of a trilogy on the life of Islam’s holy prophet. It recounts the early years of his prophecy in the city of Mecca.

It took five years for Majidi and his team to produce the 171-minute movie. With a budget of over USD 55 million, the religious blockbuster is the most expensive film ever made in Iran.

Produced by Mohammad Mehdi Heidarian, the film was shot in Iran and the South African city of Bela-Bela.

A photo by Miljen Kreka Kljakovic shows inside the house of Aminahbint Wahb, mother of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as depicted in a film by Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi.

The cinematic project has enjoyed the cooperation of renowned international craftsmen and artists such as Italian cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, Italian film editor, Roberto Perpignani, American special effects artist, Scott E. Anderson, Italian makeup artist, Gianetto De Rossi, and Indian composer, A. R. Rahman.

Majid Majidi is an acclaimed film director, producer and screenwriter whose films have won him many international awards.

His Children of Heaven was the first Iranian film to have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1999.

Majidi’s other successful film, Color of Paradise, was chosen as one of the best 10 films of the year in the US in 2000.