Son of the Mullah

LOGLINE
Son of the Mullahis a gripping tale full of fear,treason and bravery of those who
stand up to the Iranian Government, and of the ultimate price paid by those who are
caught in the crosshairs.
Rohollah Zam, is an exiled Iranian journalist, famous for his regular broadcasts
where he shines a light on massive corruption within the Iranian regime. Dubbed an
enemy of the state, he is eventually lured from his place of hiding in France before
being kidnapped and taken to Iran, where he is subsequently tried and executed
for treason. This is his story.
Trailer
Password: Zam
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Son of the Mullah, tells the story of a new wave of journalists
who seek to uncover the truth with tales of abuse and corruption
from deep within the Iranian Government.
At the heart, is Rohollah Zam.
Born into a high-ranking clerical family in Tehran, the son of
Mullah Mohammad-Ali Zam, who had served in several senior
governmental positions, Rohollah was a member of the ruling
elite. However following the brutal suppression of protests that
followed the 2009 Iranian Presidential election, he too decided to
protest against the establishment. He and his wife Mahsa were
both imprisoned and tortured. It was only with the help of his
father that they were released.
SYNOPSIS
They flee Iran and move to France where Rohollah sets up
a Telegram channel named 'Amadnews' (lit. 'Voice of the People').
The mission of the channel is clear - to ‘spread awareness and
seek justice,’ to its millions of followers. Using old contacts from
deep within the government he regularly reveals stories that shock not only the Iranian people but also seasoned observers and members of the
opposition who can’t believe the stories he is finding.
He publishes literally hundreds of leaked documents that expose tales of incredible corruption and shines a light on how religious leaders are living
double lives. Whilst at home the regime justifies its repression by saying that it was necessary to maintain the strict Islamist standard demanded of the
people, the truth that Rohallah reveals is that when they are away from the spotlight the political elite are living completely different lives abroad,
where the Mullahs drank alcohol, go to clubs with lightly dressed girls and live a life of luxury.
Following repeated death threats Rohollah is forced into hiding where he and his family receive around the clock protection from the French security
service.
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When Nahid Persson, hears of Rohollahs’ exile she is intrigued and
keen to meet him. At the same time she is wary.
As a documentary filmmaker, who has been investigating
corruption since her own escape into exile in Sweden following the
murder of her brother, she is all too aware of the risks he is facing.
She also wonders how it is possible for him to access the
information he is receiving. It is clear that it could only have come
from sources very close to the top of the Iranian Regime. This
creates a sense of suspicion, as to whom Rohollah is truly
representing.
One thing that Nahid has learnt over the years is that one has to be
extremely thorough in distinguishing whether the tips one receive
are real or fake, and key to that is discerning whether the
information is coming from a genuine whistle-blower or from an
agent of the regime. So she is unsure as to whether Rohollah is
genuine or working for the Government. So she finally gets to
meets him, along with his wife, and their two daughters in a small
apartment under 24/7 police protection, she is naturally nervous.
Rohollah greets her by playing messages he has received from inside the regime's security services, secret messages that they are going to put down
demonstrations. He is hard working and seems to be good at what he does and Nahid begins to relax. Rohollah tells her that he continues to receive
death threats almost daily and knows from his sources that Iran have sent agents six or seven times to kill him. One of Rohollah's co-workers says to
Nahid : "Don't worry Nahid, your film will be very successful once Rohollah is dead." Rohollah laughs at the idea, but his determination to carry on is
undaunted even though all his family members have been arrested in Iran.
Nahid grows closer to his family – to his wife Mahsa who finds herself living a life she never envisioned. They had been living a comfortable life in
Teheran in a house of 2000 square meters and never had to worry about money. But Rohollahs activism has brought an end to that life. Now,
although his work is having a great impact in Iran, Rohallah feels guilty for the price that his family is paying for his activism.
Life is very limited for them, and he realises it is not sustainable.
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Whilst Nahid is with the family, Roholla, receives a call from a source within the Government informing him that there is a plot to murder his
colleague Ali Javanmardi. Ali has just published a report that has gripped the country. He claims that one of Iran's largest banks is on the verge of
bankruptcy, as $14 billion has been embezzled by one of the regime's top leaders. In panic people take to the streets and queue up for days to get their
money out.
Rohollah calls Ali and warns him that there is a planned
operation to kill him. He must move quickly and ensure
that his family in Iran go into hiding.
Nahid is now a part of Rohoullah’s network and travels
to meet Ali as their investigative work continues. Ali is
another striking figure. An exiled journalist, of Iranian
and American citizenship he operates from Iraqi
Kurdistan. His gun is always at hand, even when he
sleeps. When Ali receives a tip about a planned terrorist
attack on a US Embassy the stakes grow for all involved.
The Iranian National TV then releases a documentary in
which secretly filmed material seems to cast a shadow
over Rohallah’s reputation. Even though it is
propaganda Rohollah appears to be a completely
different person in the documentary than the one that
Nahid has met. She calls him afterwards but whilst his
response is that “...he knew he was secretly filmed and acted as he did in order to to be able to secretly film the regime himself ”
Nahid is nonetheless disappointed and suspicions grow again.
Is Rohollah genuine or is he after all a secret Iranian agent?
She reflects on their time together, and realises that there are many unanswered questions. There is much about his network that she doesn’t know or
understand. So many conversations that she is not allowed to record, she wonders who the people are that Rohollah is talking to all the time.
Can he really be trusted?
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As her suspicions peak, news breaks that Rohollah has disappeared.
Panic ensures. He has been kidnapped.
He eventually turns up on Iranian TV, where he asks for forgiveness for his crimes. He has been kidnapped by the Iranian secret service and smuggled
back into the country. A show trial follows before he is finally found guilty.
He is executed on the 12th december 2020
What Nahid didn’t know then, was that the Iranian intelligence service had deeply infiltrated Rohollah's network and his nearest co-worker Shirin, was
a secret agent. She was a confidant with whom he spoke on the phone several times a day.
Many of their conversations revolved around Rohollah's dream of starting a TV channel. And it was Shirin who convinced him that she had received
an email from the highest Shia Muslim leader, Ayatollah Sistani in Iraq who wanted to meet and invest in the TV channel project.
While Rohollah was worried about the risks, Shirin had assured him that his stay in Iraq would be risk-free as Sistani had arranged protection.
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Rohollah believed that this promise along with the fact that he was himself the "Son of a Mullah" would offer protection. Sadly this wasn’t the case,
and Rohollah flew from Paris to his own death.
To all Iranians, in the country or outside, the message behind this execution is crystal clear. Nobody is safe. Nowhere. Not even the Son of a Mullah.
Rohollah’s death left his grieving family and friends with many unanswered questions.
How could he have been abducted by the Iranian regime whilst under French police protection? How could he even board a plane when he wasn't
allowed to go to the gym without his bodyguards?
But "Son of the Mullah" is not only a crime story. It is also a deeply personal film, a tale of bravery, treason, and constant fear.
A film about the hypocrisy of power will enable the viewer to feel the brutality of the grip of the Iranianregime.
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MOTIVATION
84 million Iranians have lived in captivity in their own country for 44 years. My exile in
Sweden gave me a free life, but I'm outraged that the Iranian regime keeps using its
ISIS-like methods in all impunity. When I started researching and filming "Son of the
Mullah," I thought this would be a story about courageous journalists in exile and their
attempts to shed light on the crimes and corruption of the regime. Although I knew the
risks, I never truly understood the dangers Rohallah faced. It seemed as though he was
well-guarded, and I had no idea that his enemies had gotten so close to him, posing as
sources and potential funders. Unfortunately, it was already too late when Ali and I saw the
trap.
After Rohollah's execution, the film has turned into a very personal quest for truth and
justice that brings me into the picture and revives the old wounds of the execution of my
brother.
What happened to Rohollah can happen to Ali. It can happen to me. The feeling that we're
not safe anywhere sheds a harsh light, not only on the dreadful methods of the Iranian
regime but on the culpability of Western governments. When an act of extreme violence
hits the news, they issue a statement of "concern", but they just don't care most of the
time. It's business as usual. And it's bloody dirty.
I am perhaps not old enough to say that this is my testament film, but I know it is in a way.
-Nahid Persson, director
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CHARACTERS

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