TEHRAN -- Two Iranian productions are bringing historical narratives to the stage and screen, as composer and theater director Behzad Abdi prepares a new musical about statesman Amir Kabir and filmmaker Masoud Dehnamaki approaches completion of Flight 655, a feature reportedly created entirely with artificial intelligence.
The projects take different approaches to the past. Abdi’s production combines an original Iranian text with music, singing and movement, while Dehnamaki’s film uses AI technology to recreate events surrounding one of the deadliest incidents in modern Iranian aviation history.
Abdi’s musical, titled Chapter Three…, carries the subtitle A Scalpel to the Jugular Vein of History. Written and directed by Abdi, the production is scheduled to open in late November 2026, according to the announcement. 
The story begins in the study of a history researcher who has abandoned the third chapter of his dissertation under pressure to accommodate political sensitivities. 
An encounter with a character named Talkhak transports him into the Qajar era, where the fate of Amir Kabir becomes the basis for an exploration of historical memory, political pressure and the relationship between individuals and the past.
Music and singing are integral to the production’s narrative structure, advancing the plot and expressing conflicts between characters rather than functioning solely as accompaniment. 
Its creators distinguish the work from foreign musicals translated into Persian, describing it as a production built around an Iranian text and musical framework.
Amir Kabir, who served as
 chief minister under Naser al-Din Shah Qajar in the 19th century, is remembered for his reformist ambitions and efforts to modernize Iran’s state institutions. 
His political career and eventual execution have made him a prominent figure in Iranian historical and cultural narratives.
Abdi has worked across opera, film scoring and theater. His operatic credits include Ashura, Rumi and Hafez, with Rumi and Hafez released internationally by the classical music label Naxos. His compositions draw on Iranian traditional music and Western classical forms.
His film credits include The Father’s House, The Corridor, Cyanide, The Killer and Grassland. He received Crystal Simorgh awards at Iran’s Fajr Film Festival for his scores for Al and Mazare Sharif, and an honorary diploma for Grassland.
Abdi previously directed the stage production Bach, which reportedly recorded 170 performances and attracted more than 30,000 spectators. The production was also presented in Tajikistan and the Iranian cities of Shiraz and Isfahan.
Meanwhile, Dehnamaki’s Flight 655 is reportedly in the final stages of production. The project received a production permit in 2023 but was delayed before production could proceed, according to Iranian media reports published in October 2026.
The film concerns Iran Air Flight 655, an Airbus A300 passenger aircraft traveling from Bandar Abbas to Dubai on July 3, 1988. The aircraft was shot down over the Persian Gulf by a missile fired from the U.S. Navy cruiser USS Vincennes, killing all 290 people aboard, including passengers and crew.
The incident remains a deeply painful episode in modern Iranian history. The U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command also documents the shootdown and the deaths of all 290 people aboard.
According to the Iranian report, Flight 655 is being made entirely with artificial intelligence, which is intended to facilitate the recreation of people, locations and circumstances associated with the disaster. 
However, publicly available information does not yet establish which AI systems were used, how the production incorporated human performances or how much of the filmmaking process was automated.
The report also raises the possibility that the film could be ready for the 45th Fajr Film Festival. Its participation has not been confirmed, and no official festival selection or screening date has been established in the information available.