The Spirituality of Cinematic Experience

By Roger Prentice

First presented at the Irfan Colloquia Session #54
Institute of Commonwealth Studies: London, England
July 2–4, 2004
(see list of papers from #54)

Cinema has been referred to as the one true art form developed in the 20th Century. What kind of connections might cinematic art be said to have with the social and spiritual teachings of the Bahá'í Faith? Mainly with reference to narrative cinema, this presentation will include the following concerns:

1. Given Bahá'í views of what it is to be human, can a case be successfully made for seeing cinema as spiritual, or mystical, experience?

2. What, consequently, are some of the implications for critical appreciation of cinema?

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