Dawn Images

A feature length documentary film capturing the life in Haram in Makkah was released in cinemas nationwide on the first of Ramazan.

From its world premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival all the way to its most recent premiere in India, One Day In The Haram is being touted as the most successful Islamic documentary film ever.

Directed by British-Pakistan filmmaker Abrar Hussain with a budget of Rs50 million, the documentary is an extraordinary story of the revered Haram. It was for the first time in history that the Saudi government allowed a film crew full access to the inner workings of the Haram.

Director Hussain spent over a year researching different aspects of the Haram to bring to the worldwide audience its most complete and compelling vision. It is also packed with information and never-seen-before footage.

The film has already been screened in cinemas in multiple countries, including the UK, the US, Australia and Canada as well as Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Malaysia and the UAE. In the UK, the film was also premiered at the House of Lords, the first Islamic film to ever screen at the British upper house of Parliament.

The award-winning director said: “It is a great honour to be able to share this important film with the audiences in Pakistan, especially at this spiritual time of Ramazan. Being of Pakistani heritage myself, it really is a privilege to be able to showcase this film in my home country.”

Hussain is currently working on his next feature film project about Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, which is scheduled to release worldwide in September.

Originally published in Dawn, May 18th, 2019