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. On 5/6 it is Imam Shamsi Ali.

Co-presented by Global Spiritual Life at NYU.

About the Speakers

Imam Shamsi Ali is a religious scholar and interfaith bridge builder in New York and beyond. Currently Imam Ali is leading the Jamaica Muslim Center, the largest Muslim community center in New York City. He is also the founder and President of Nusantara Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on building peace and harmony between peoples of all backgrounds. Imam Ali is known as a moderate face of Islam and has been honored for his tireless efforts to foster understanding and cooperation between peoples of different religions; one such recognition was from the the Interreligious Federation, which declared Ali the Ambassador for Peace in 2002. Imam Ali was chosen by New York Magazine in 2007 as one of the seven most influential religious leaders in New York City, and chosen as one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the World by Jordan Strategic Studies and Georgetown University. Imam Ali is a frequent speaker at the United Nations and has appeared on both national and international media outlets including CNN, Fox News, NBC, Al-Jazeera, and many others.

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.