A Widening Embrace: New Film about Community-Building Efforts of the Baha’i World

Commissioned by the Universal House of Justice, A Widening Embrace is a new innovative documentary film about the community-building efforts of the Baha’i world, as seen through the eyes of local populations.

The film has just been made available online here via Bahai.org, the official website for the Baha’i International Community.

The Baha’i World News Service (BWNS) reported that the film was screened at the recent 12th International Baha’i Convention in Haifa, Israel, enriching the consultations of the 1,300 delegates present, as many of the themes discussed over the days of the Convention were highlighted in the practical examples presented in the documentary.

A Widening Embrace is described on the film’s website as follows:

Across the globe, followers of Baha’u’llah and their friends are striving in earnest to contribute to the well-being of their communities and the advancement of society. A Widening Embrace captures some experiences and insights from a selection of neighbourhoods and villages, in rural and urban settings. Here, a process of building vibrant communities is unfolding through individual and collective action propelled by a commitment to learning, in the words of Baha’u’llah, how to “translate that which hath been written into reality and action.”

The Baha’i World News Service also explained: “produced through a creative, grassroots process in which teams of often young people have documented the efforts of their own communities around the world to effect social change, the documentary draws on footage taken by those teams over the course of a year, and tells a story of transformation unfolding in 24 communities representing different realities and contexts. It focuses on three main themes: universal participation as a path toward collective prosperity, the vital role of young people in the transformation of society, and the emergence of a range of social and economic development initiatives that spring up from the spiritual aspirations of a population.”

Approximate running time of A Widening Embrace is 77 minutes.

You can find out more about the film from this Baha’i World News Service article: New film gives voice to communities around the world

Watch A Widening Embrace in the following languages from the film’s website using the links below:

* English: A Widening Embrace

* Español (Spanish): Ampliando la bienvenida

* Français (French): Un cercle grandissant

* Русский (Russian): Раскрывая свои объятия

* عربي (Arabic): احتضانٌ وسيعُ الرِّحاب

* فارسی (Persian): آغوشی فراگیر

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Naysan Naraqi

Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.