Sacred

2016, Thomas Lennon, USA, 86 min.

“A kaleidoscopic travelogue depicting demonstrations of faith worldwide.” —Andy Webster, The New York Times

Shot by more than forty filmmaking teams around the world, the film immerses the viewer in the daily use of faith and spiritual practice. At a time when religious hatreds dominate the world’s headlines, this film explores faith as primary human experience, and how people turn to ritual and prayer to navigate the milestones and crises of private life. The film’s director commissioned or sourced footage from top independent filmmakers from more than 25 countries—and a wide range of religious traditions—each team contributing a single scene. The film, sweeping in its global reach, yet intensely intimate, is a tour de force that unifies these scenes into a single work, told without narration, without experts and, for long stretches, without words at all.

Each of the six screenings will be followed by a conversation between director Thomas Lennon and a religious leader.

Co-presented by Global Spiritual Life at NYU.

About the Speaker

Thomas Lennon‘s work in documentary film has earned him an Academy Award and three Academy nominations. He has also won two national Emmys, two duPont-Columbia and Peabody awards, and had two films premiere at Sundance.