Among the distinguished figures of the Sacred Defense era, Martyr Mehdi Zeinoddin stands as a symbol of striving in both knowledge and action—a young, thoughtful, and resolute commander who advanced from the frontlines of learning to the battlefield, following the clear path of guardianship and defending the nation. Through his sincere actions, he became a role model for future generations.

The fiction film Living Martyr‑Like, directed by Sajjad Ma’arefi and selected for competition in the “National Memory” section of the 13th Ammar Popular Film Festival, presents three short micro‑narratives from the life of the commander of the 17th Ali ibn Abi Talib Division (AS), Martyr Mehdi Zeinoddin. On November 20, 1984, Martyr Zeinoddin and his brother Majid were martyred during reconnaissance operations in the Sardasht region following an encounter with armed groups. On this occasion, we conducted a brief interview with Ma’arefi.

Ma’arefi, the director of Living Martyr‑Like, said that the original idea for the film emerged during his time at the IRIB Basij Center. According to him, Dr. Mohammad‑Mahdi Rahmati, head of the IRIB Basij at the time, believed that a series of micro‑narratives about the lives of prominent martyrs should be produced, and their team chose to focus on Martyr Zeinoddin.

Regarding the purpose of the work and the importance of maintaining quality in such productions, he explained:

“One of our goals, based on the guidance of the Supreme Leader, is to create content about the martyrs. All religious artists have the concern of making works about martyrs. However, the crucial point is the quality of these works. In recent years, many productions about martyrs have been made, but sometimes their content or artistic quality is not defensible. We tried—despite the short length of the film—to maintain necessary technical and thematic standards.”

The director spoke about the reaction of the martyr’s mother:

“The fact that Martyr Zeinoddin’s mother blessed us after watching the film was the most valuable reward for our entire team.”

Ma’arefi criticized the difficulties of production and the lack of adequate support:

“Like many revolutionary groups, we faced executive challenges and a lack of cooperation from certain institutions. The Holy Defense Town (Shahrak-e Defa-e Moqaddas) did not cooperate at all, even though they fully collaborated with projects that had no connection to the Sacred Defense or the subject of martyrs. Moreover, coordinating with the Revayat Foundation was also extremely difficult.”

Discussing the challenge of casting the role of Martyr Zeinoddin, Ma’arefi said:

“Finding an actor whose appearance closely resembled Martyr Zeinoddin was more important than anything else. This process took six to seven months. Still, with reliance on God and the spiritual support of the martyr, we were able to finish the project.”

He added about his other activities:

“We are trying to produce one or several more works about martyrs and revolutionary themes in the future. However, the reality is that achieving such ideas depends heavily on the perspectives of cultural managers. Our biggest obstacle is the attitude of certain managers. Unfortunately, this issue exists even among revolutionary managers—they only produce what they personally prefer, not what the director or cultural needs require. Budgets and support are allocated based on personal taste, not on the real necessities of cultural and artistic work, and this makes the creation of impactful works difficult.”

Ma’arefi concluded:

“For me personally, working on the life of Martyr Zeinoddin was accompanied by a deep and intimate connection. I felt that every step we took was guided by him, and audiences who watched the film also felt a special connection to Martyr Zeinoddin.”