Walking With Martyrs

Abdullah and Mahya, a devout young Iranian couple, hire a bus and lead thirty fellow pilgrims on Iran’s Government-sponsored two million strong Pilgrimage of Light, visiting battle-sites of the Iran-Iraq War and revering the martyrs. The pilgrims, mostly young, mostly women, have some similarities with Australia’s youth who visit Gallipoli to remember the Anzac story of national identity forged by sacrifice in war. For Iran’s pilgrims, everyday actions, like what you wear or who you follow, take on a heightened political significance that challenges the secular beliefs of many other Iranians. With privileged access to the characters, Walking with Martyrs offers insight into how intense belief is promulgated and what that belief means for the people we get to know. Directed by Amin Palangi. Produced by Pat Fiske and Amin Palangi. The film is in Iranian language.