When God Sleeps
When God Sleeps is a 2017 documentary directed by Till Schauder and produced by Schauder and Sara Nodjoumi. It centers around exiled Iranian musician Shahin Najafi, whose provocative lyrics resulted in Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani and Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi issuing separate fatwa against Najafi for apostasy.
The film premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival and received a German theatrical release beginning 12 October 2017.
Plot
Taking place in Germany throughout 2015, the documentary focuses on Shahin Najafi's life in exile as he struggles to produce music and embark on a tour whilst under the constant threat of danger. His long-distance romance with Leili Bazargan, the granddaughter of Mehdi Bazargan, Iran's first Prime Minister following the Iranian Revolution, also complicates things due to his status as an outspoken critic of Islam.Cast
- Shahin Najafi as Himself
- Leili Bazargan
- Shahryar Ahadi
- Majid Kazemi
- Zahra Ashena
- Michael Krol
- Simon Scheibel
- M.C. Augusto Stahlke
- Nico Stallmann
- BenTai Trawinski