June 18, 2023 will mark 40 years since 10 Baha’i women were hanged in Shiraz. Their only ‘crime’ was their refusal to renounce their beliefs in a faith that promotes the principles of gender equality, unity, justice, and truthfulness. This collection highlights Baha’i Blog content relating to the ongoing persecution of Baha’is in Iran.
THE GARDENER – A Film by Mohsen Makhmalbaf (with Subtitles – باغبان ساخته محسن مخملباف )
Internationally renowned Iranian director, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, has made available to the general public his award-winning film, The Gardener.
Synopsis:
An Iranian film maker and his son travel to Israel to investigate a world religion with around 7 million followers, which originated in Iran about a hundred and seventy years ago. Youth from all over the world come to Haifa, the center of this religion, to serve. Those who serve in the gardens that surround the holy places develop peace loving attitudes through their interactions with nature.
As the father accompanies a gardener from Papua New Guinea, he finds similarities between the teachings of this religion, which was born in Iran, and the positive ideas promoted by people like Mandela and Gandhi. The father asks whether Iran would still be pursuing nuclear weapons if the Iranian people had adopted a peaceful religion. He shares this idea with his son, who is also investigating Religion, but the son strongly believes that all religions tend to bring about destruction. As a result of these arguments, father and son separate from one another and pursue their own paths. This film shows two completely different views on Religion. The director’s camera portrays examples of two generations of Iranians through this story….
With more than 20 feature films to his name, Makhmalbaf has won over 50 awards and been a juror in over 15 film festivals.
Until this week, the film, which was made in 2012, had been available only in festivals around the world and in selected screenings.
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.
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This is very inspiring, and it brings me closer to Baha’ullah…I love it
Kapeneta Purcell (October 10, 2015 at 2:25 AM)
How do I get English subtitles to play? t sounds lovely and I would like to share it with friends.
Loree Gross (October 10, 2015 at 11:51 AM)
Hi Loree, You have to click the little “cc” button at the bottom right of the video and then select the subtitle language you want. Hope that helps! 🙂
Naysan (October 10, 2015 at 4:44 PM)