Films
Al-Ghazali – The Alchemist of Happiness
Born in 1058 in Tus, Khorasan, in present-day Iran, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali was one of the most original thinkers the world has known. Besides being a major influence in the Muslim world, the West has also felt his effect. He influenced major figures of medieval philosophy such as Thomas Aquinas and Moses Maimonides, who shaped the philosophy of the Latin West. As the author of some 250 books on topics ranging from theology and ethics to metaphysics and philosophy, al-Ghazali came to be known as ‘Proof of Islam’. For almost a thousand years he has served as an inspiration for spiritual seekers everywhere as he was someone, like the Buddha, willing to give up everything: wealth, position, family and comfort in order to search for Truth.
This film sets out to discover who al-Ghazali was and whether we, living in the 21st century, can still find relevance in his teaching.
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with Robert Powell as the voice of al-ghazali
FEATURING: GHORBAN NADJAFI, DARYUSH ARJMAND, MITRA HAJJAR, ABDOLREZA KERMANI
Director of Photography: Mahmoud Kalari
Art Direction: Malak Khazai
Screenplay: Simon van der Borgh
Editor: Gabriela Enis
Music: Dirk Campbell
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: TJ WINTER & PS GILDERS
PRODUCED & DIRECTED BY OVIDIO SALAZAR
SPECIAL FEATURES:
ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS WITH SHAYKH HAMZA YUSUF & DR. KARIM D. CROW
Running Time 80mins Approx
© Matmedia Productions
"This film is a remarkable achievement, capturing not only the drama of Ghazali’s life and the texture of the world in which he lived, but also skilfully distilling the significance of major themes in his writings. This is no small feat: the art of dramatizing ideas. I cannot wait to show it in my courses on Medieval Muslim Thought." - FAROUK MITHA University of Victoria, Canada
Circling the House of God
Born in 1909, Dr Martin Lings, also known as Shaykh Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din, was revered by people all over the world as a ‘Friend of God’: a man whose saintly radiance touched the lives of all those who looked to him for guidance. In 1938, as a young man in his late 20s, he embraced Islam, entering deeply into its spirit; and the books he went on to write bear witness to the profundity and the subtlety of that spirit which he came to embody and exemplify.
In 1948 he performed the Hajj or pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. Using unique archive material, this documentary film recollects his experience along with his insight into its historical background. An indefatigable traveller to the very end, he made the last of his annual journeys to the East in January 2005, a few months before peacefully passing away in hishome at the age of 96.
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Directed and Produced by Ovidio Salazar
Director of Photography Richard Branczik
Edited by Will Roche
Made possible by the support of the Matheson Trust
2009
Running Time- 35 mins approx.
Format: Pal
Region: 0
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
The World of Rumi: Parts 1 + 2
Part 1: Rumi- The Wings of Love
Viewed in several international film festivals, as well as the Musee de l'Homme in Paris, this film takes viewers into a secret world rarely seen by outsiders. Nearly eight centuries after his death, Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Sufi master and mystuicak oiet us ever-present in the whirling ceremony of today's Mevlevi dervhishes.
The Helveti Zikr, Mevlevi semas, and the Gharib, or secret, sema-not seen for over 100 years- were filmed in Cairo, IStanbul, and the Garden of Rumi in Konya.
This unique footage set to Mevlevi music is enhanced by interviews with Sheikh Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din (Dr. Martin Lings), Islamic philosopher and author Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Sheikh Tugrel Inancer, who reveals the hidden meaning of the reed flute.
Part 2: Come to Life- Al-Mahya
Once a year in the middle of the month of Shabban "mureeds" of the Demerdache Khalwati Sufi Order in Cairo go into small cells and make a spiritual retreat which has been a tradition in this order for over five hundred years.
Shems Friedlander is the first person to be allowed to film this secret and sacred ceremony.
During the "khalwa" the mureed prays, fasts (as in the month of Ramadan), is silent, remains in seclusion, invokes the name of Allah, meditates, and maintains a state of ritual purity.
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Directed and Produced by Shems Friedlander
2005
Running Time (both) 80 mins approx.
Colour
Format :PAL
Region: 0
"In this time, when many tongues presume to speak for God, their god, this film speaks to a truth that is beyond the ability of our human words to describe; the gift of love, the indwelling of God within the soul."
- Godfrey Reggio, Director "Koyaanisqatsi"
"Seclusion from people will become inevitable for you, as will preference for retreat (khalwa) over human associations, for the extent of your distance from creation is the extent of your closeness to God- outwardly and inwardly."
-Ibn Arabi
The World of Rumi: Part 3- The Circles of Remembrance
The Circles of Remembrance is an 82 minute journey into what is usually a hidden world of sufism. This documentary explores "zikr" ceremonies in Cairo, Istanbul, Morocco, and the U.S., alond with interviews with some of the most prominent sufi scholars and musicians on the outer and secret meaning of the remembrance of God.
Among those interview are Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Dr. Martin Lings (Sheikh Abu Bakr Siraj ad Din), Gai Eaton, Sheikh Ali Gom'a (the Grand Mufti of Egypt), T.J. Winter, Sheikh Tosun Bayrak, along with internationally known musicians Kudsi Erguner and Hamza El Din, who speak on sacred music.
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Directed and Produced by Shems Friedlander
Running Time- 82 mins (105 approx. including extras)
Format- PAL
Region- 0
The Blessed Tree
A meditation on the themes of love of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon Him), veneration of holy sites, grace and symbolism. This film tells the story of the meeting between the Prophet and a Christian monk named Bahira. The meeting happened in the shade of a tree.
Fourteen hundred years later that same tree was discovered still alive in the northern deserts of Jordan. The only tree alive in hundreds of square miles of emptiness. This tree is a link to the life of the Prophet and a place of pilgrimage today...
‘”The Blessed Tree has a fruit, the seed of which plants a new branch of Iman (faith) in the heart. I literally felt my Iman increase while watching this film. There are parts which would reduce even the hardest of hearts to tears.” – Shaykh Hamza Yusuf
Interviewees include: Grand Mufti of Egypt Ali Jum’a, Muhammad Ramadan Al-Buti, Al-Habib ‘Umar bin Hafeeth, Al-Habib Ali al-Jifri, Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Abdal Hakim Murad. (Watch: Unofficial Blessed Tree Trailer)
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“In this place, we pray to God to make our hearts containers of the love of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings be upon Him).”
-Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Sa‘id Ramadan Al-Buti
“The Prophet sitting under this tree, and its reacting to the Prophet makes the tree the only living terrestrial witness to the Prophet , what we would call in Arabic a sahabi.”
-H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad
“This tree was blessed with the touch of the Messenger of God (Peace and Blessings be upon Him).”
-Shaykh Al-Habib Ali Al-Jifri
“That thing that deserves to be loved most is that which brings forth from the depths of our spirits the recollection of the Divine Name. The title of the Holy Prophet of Islam is Habib Allah, the Beloved of God. This hub, this love for the Prophet could be described as the great transformative emotion of Islam.”
-Abdal Hakim Murad
“You have to be able to apply a symbol in a wise way, from one domain of reality to another. There is, in a sense, a vertical dimension that goes through our heart vertically through our head and up to Heaven. The line of transcendence. This is the inner tree. The roots of it are actually the roots of the Divine reality in our hearts. For most human beings this tree has dried up because they are not aware of its roots. It is virtually there but not actually; and the spiritual life means the reviving of this tree within us by sinking the roots of the Divine once again in our hearts.”
-Prof. Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Those interviewed for the film include:
His Majesty King Abdallah II of Jordan
H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad
Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Sa‘id Ramadan Al-Buti
Shaykh Al-Habib ‘Umar bin Hafeeth
Shaykh Al-Habib Ali al-Jifri
Prof. Seyyed Hossein Nasr
H.E. Shaykh Dr. Ali Jum’a
Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad
Others involved:
H.E. Shaykh Muhammad Al-Sadiq Yusuf
H.E. Shaykh Dr. Ahmad Hassoun
Directed and Produced by Mustafa Gouverneur
Edited by Matthew Dixon
Co-produced by Yasin Salazar
Cinematography by Richard Terry
Music by Musa Kala Dieng
A Ten Thousand Films production 2010.
www.TenThousandFilms.com
Runtime: 40 mins - Format: PAL - Sound: Stereo - Aspect Ratio: 16:9
The Furthest Mosque
Following the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) recommendation to Journey to three Mosques- (Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem), this films sets out in the company of British bass player Danny 'Hamza' Thompson to discover the reasons why the last of these three holds such an important place in the hearts of Muslims everywhere.
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Directed & Produced by Ovidio Salazar
Director of Photography Richard Branczik
Edited by Gabriela Enis
Executive Producer Chris Loughlin
Screen- 16:9
Sound- Stereo
Format- PAL & NTSC
Genre- Documentary
Run Time- 25 mins
"A unique insight into what Jerusalem could mean to a British Muslim." - Q-News
"The most refreshing twenty minutes of BBC broadcasting I've seen in a very long time." - Shagufta Yaqub
The Baptism of Jesus Christ- Uncovering Bethany Beyond the Jordan
The remarkable story of how the actual location of Jesus' baptism disappeared from human memory, lost in time for almost one thousand years; and the fascinating story of its rediscovery by an Arab Muslim Prince and an Italian Christian monk and the ongoing excavations taking place there.
Since the 1967 war both banks of the river Jordan were military zones. The area was dangerous and heavily mined making it impossible to access. The peace treaty signed in 1994 between the Kingdom of Jordan and Israel allowed archaeologists to begin the search...
What is the meaning of baptism? What is the spiritual significance of the desert and of visiting holy places? 1-hour of DVD extras include extended discussions on: veneration of Christian holy sites by Muslims, the significance of John the Baptist and Elijah; the spiritual meaning of water. (Watch Baptism Film Trailer)
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"A remarkable account of recovering a foundational part of our Christian heritage." —The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. Head of the worldwide Anglican Communion
"An important, groundbreaking film...This film takes its subject seriously. Christians must see this film. Everyone should see this film! " —Dr. William F. Vendley, Secretary General, World Conference of Religions for Peace, New York
"It is a work of art! I hope you see this beautiful documentary." —Lucie Blodgett, The Voice-Tribune, Louisville
“The Baptism of Jesus Christ: Uncovering Bethany Beyond the Jordan” is a beautiful film that will speak to pilgrims of all faiths...This film is a blessing." —The Rev. Canon Charles P. Gibbs, Executive Director. United Religions Initiative
"Refreshingly, this film succeeds in being true both to the archaeological and the spiritual significance of the place.... It conveys the sense of excitement alike among archaeologists, biblical scholars and bedouin tribesmen as the site was rediscovered over the past few years. It reflects engagingly on the meaning of baptism in Christianity." —Revd. Dr. Liz Carmichael
, Tutorial Fellow in Theology and Chaplain. St John's College, University of Oxford
"Not since “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” have the worlds of archeology and religion collided so!" —Shawn Hudson, LEO Weekly, USA
Directed and Produced by Mustafa Gouverneur
Produced by Clay Lyons Morton
Edited by Masato Riesser
Camera Frank Muller
Sound Martin Andersson
A Ten Thousand Films production 2008.
www.TenThousandFilms.com
Feature Runtime: 54 mins - Extras Run Time: 60 mins
Format: PAL - Sound: Stereo - Aspect Ratio: 16:9
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