Iranian director Ebrahim Hatamikia's "Damascus Time” is the first major Iranian film about the country's presence in Syria. Ever since its first screening at Iran’s Fajr International Film Festival in February, the film has caused controversy, both for its take on the subject and its artistic value.

“Damascus Time” narrates the story of an Iranian cargo plane that leaves Tehran for Syria. The time frame is unclear, but the focus is on the efforts of the Iranian volunteers who are fighting against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria. While on a mission to deliver humanitarian goods, the two pilots are caught by IS fighters and held captive. The film was recorded at different air bases in Iran as well as in Damascus, and includes several scenes showing IS fighters beheading hostages and depicts the propaganda work of terrorists.

At the festival in Fajr, the film won awards for best director and best soundtrack. But like many of Hatamikia's films, “Damascus Time” is controversial, both in terms of subject and point of view.

Hatamikia, 56, is one of Iran’s best-known directors. He enjoys the reputation of an ideological but nonetheless critical filmmaker who is loyal to the ideals of the Islamic Revolution and the concept of jihad. His fame reached its climax in 1998 when he made “The Glass Agency,” a drama about the suffering of an Iran-Iraq War veteran who needed an immediate operation but failed to get it. The film did not only criticize the treatment of war veterans but also the post-war system that had distorted the ideals of the 1979 revolution.