UKZN Screens Acclaimed Documentary, Rumi Returning

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The School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics (SRPC) recently screened the acclaimed documentary Rumi Returning which tells the life story of the great 13^th century Persian poet and Sufi sage. The film has inspired audiences around the world. 

Producer-director Kell Kearns and producer Ms Cynthia Lukas of Heaven on Earth Creations filmed the biopic on location in Turkey amidst the places in Rumi’s everyday life. The film features the whirling dervishes that Rumi created. 

Onscreen commentators include Dr Coleman Barks, whose books of Rumi’s poetry are responsible in part for the current Rumi mania in the West; Dr Akbar Ahmed, Professor of Islamic Studies at American University; and Rumi expert and mystical scholar Andrew Harvey.

Attending the South African premiere at UKZN to discuss the film, Lukas said: ‘Our film has become a phenomenon because Rumi speaks to a deep hunger in humankind to realise its oneness and live in peace. We hope that Rumi’s sublime message will reach not only every home but every classroom, library and heart.’

Jon Bowman, then Executive Director of the Santa Fe Film Festival, described the movie as ‘not only a work of extreme visual beauty, but also a feature exhibiting immense passion and conveying a profound, spiritual message certain to resonate deeply with viewers.’

For biographical information and information about other Heaven on Earth documentaries, visit their website, www.globalizedsoul.org

Melissa Mungroo