A screening and discussion of preliminary
scenes from film-in-progress
Directed by Christian Suhr
Produced by Hala Lotfy (Hassala Films, forthcoming)

At a time of escalating political and religious tensions, the question of how we can cultivate love as both a spiritual and political practice is urgent. Danish filmmaker and anthropologist Christian Suhr returns to Cairo amidst this turbulence to deepen his exploration of Sufism. Joining him are Egyptian filmmakers Salma Sharnouby and Maysara Kamal. They embark on a cinematic and spiritual journey to understand how Sufi practitioners train their hearts to perceive and embody divine love.

The journey unfolds through encounters with individuals whose lives have been shaped by spiritual experiences: a retired banker who was transformed by a mystical embrace, a real estate agent who learns the difference between longing and unconditional love after meeting a holy man, and a teacher whose childhood trauma – involving sexual violence – evolved into an ongoing and challenging dialogue with God.

Through these encounters, the film offers insights into how Sufi devotion shapes human experience. Blending anthropology and cinema, the filmmakers experiment with the camera as both an instrument of observation and a medium of spiritual connection, asking: How can we learn to see and listen to the world, and to one another, with love?

The project began with three collaborative workshops in Cairo exploring filmmaking, anthropology, and love. It is the second installment in a trilogy about Sufism produced by the Hassala Film Collective, following “Light Upon Light” (Suhr and Lotfy), which premiered at CPH:DOX and the Cairo International Film Festival in 2022.

Supported by the Heart Openings Project at Aarhus University, the film forms part of a wider inquiry into how people across Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim traditions cultivate love as a spiritual path and a way of being.