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