Rosewater, a movie directed by Jon Stewart depicting the events told in the memoir Then They Came For Me by imprisoned BBC journalist Maziar Bahari, is set for theatrical release on November 7th.

Gael Garcia Bernal Rosewater
Gael Garcia Bernal plays imprisoned journalist Maziar Bahari in Rosewater

The film’s highly charged political content has already drawn criticism from Iran’s State TV, with the Iranian government accusing Stewart of being funded by Zionists and of working with the CIA. Bahari will be played by Gael Garcia Bernal.

Bahari’s imprisonment is connected to interview that he conducted on Comedy Central’s 'The Daily Show', in which he conducted a mock interview regarding the controversial Iranian presidential election with 'The Daily Show'’s correspondent Jason Jones during the 2009 Green Revolution where Jones pretended to be an American spy.

The Iranian-Canadian journalist was imprisoned for 118 days from June to October 2009 in Evin Prison, and while blindfolded was brutally interrogated by somebody about whom Bahari can only remember smelled of rosewater.

Jon Stewart director Rosewater
Rosewater is due for release in cinemas on November 7th

Bahari then appeared on 'The Daily Show' after his imprisonment and spoke with Stewart, who presents the nightly news-based satire on Comedy Central. Iranian authorities then cited his appearances on the show as proof that Bahari was an American spy.

Stewart’s direction of Rosewater is an attempt to tell the story of his guest by somebody close enough to the subject to gain insight. He took a three month sabbatical from The Daily Show in the summer of 2013, with John Oliver filling in for him as presenter.

MORE: Jon Stewart takes break from The Daily Show to direct Rosewater

Then They Came For Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival, which Bahari co-wrote with Aimee Molloy, was a best-seller in the US upon its publication in 2011. While Stewart’s job on 'The Daily Show' is to fulfil a comedic role, don’t expect Rosewater to be a light-hearted romp about Iranian prisons.