Date posted: June 12, 2014

By Tasmin Mahfuz

At the SVA theatre in New York City, the Peace Islands Institute sponsored an exclusive screening of the award-winning documentary, “Love is a Verb.”

Director Terry Spencer Hesser started the film three years ago when she was working on a travel series for PBS.

The film takes viewers on a journey to the roots of the Hizmet movement, inspired by the teachings of renown scholar Mr. Fethullah Gulen and with an influence in over 160 countries worldwide.

Terry, Hakan and their team of five travel to Belgium, Turkey, Bosnia, Iraq and Somalia, telling the stories of volunteers who sacrificed their own will to dedicate their time to serve in schools, hospitals, and humanitarian aid organizations.

Producer Hakan Berberoglu of Chicago’s Niagra Foundation tells us about the obstacles they faced while filming.

“Each culture and each set-up is very different because the Gulen movement is serving throughout the world. So that was one of the difficulties. So filming the Gulen movement in Belgium is very different than filming the Gulen movement in Somalia,” he said.

3000 people donated to the project, enabling a $350,000 fund to produce the film.

More than 250 special guests from the tri-state area joined the producers to celebrate the premiere of the documentary.

The documentary is the first of its kind and received the Best Documentary Award at Maryland International Film Festival. Actress Ashley Judd lent her voice and through Terry’s eyes, we meet a society we may have never heard about.

“The people are actually sort of subtle gentle revolutionaries,” Terry explained.

And now, many feel inspired to give back in the best way they can.

Source: Ebrunews.com , June 11, 2014

Tags: Fethullah Gulen | Hizmet (Gulen) movement | Peacebuilding |