JEDDAH: A 90-minute documentary titled “One Day in the Haram,” which details what it is like in the Grand Mosque in Makkah through the eyes of workers and clerics, is slated to debut in September.
The film — by British writer, producer and director Abrar Hussain — is set to be the biggest media project about the Grand Mosque in history.
The official trailer was uploaded on YouTube last week and has gone viral.
“The film is designed to attract a non-Muslim audience, to show them how important Makkah is,” said Hussain.
“We wanted to film Makkah because it was very important to show a beautiful side of Islam (so) non-Muslims can say, ‘Okay, this is how beautiful and peaceful this religion is’.”
He added: “We want to convey this message to as many people as possible, especially in the West. After film festivals, we will speak to Netflix and different TV stations to screen it.”
The Grand Mosque is the largest in the world and includes Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba. Muslims worldwide face in its direction when praying.
There have been films about the mosque from the perspective of worshippers and visitors, but never before about the daily life of its workers.
Hussain said he wants to show how successfully the mosque is run, how organized its departments are, and how seriously its workers take their jobs. The project was very challenging because the place is never empty of worshippers, said Hussain.
It took him one year of research before he was able to start filming, because the documentary is “very detailed.”
The budget amounted to SR1 million ($266,652). The executive producer, Abdulelah Al-Ahmary, also runs the Arabian Pictures production company.
The Makkah premiere will take place in September, but the exact release date has not yet been announced.