On the evening of May 22, 2014, Hollywood was home to an exclusive gala reception and screening of the long awaited documentary, Love is a Verb.
“Love is a Verb” is the first-ever documentary on the Hizmet Movement, a civil society movement that was born out of the inspirational teachings of Fethullah Gulen’s religious sermons in the 70s. The movement has grown into a world-wide movement, spreading out to more than 160 countries, with schools, dialogue centers, cultural centers and humanitarian aid organizations.
Terry Spencer Hesser, an award-winning filmmaker based in Chicago, was inspired to take on the task of putting together the documentary after travelling to Turkey and learning about the movement. She says, “I never dreamed that it would change my worldview. After the trip I decided that others’ worldview had to be changed as well.”
On her Indiegogo promotional video, Terry states, “In a post 9/11 world, you should get to know these Muslims.” The documentary was able to be completed through the funding received from a total of 2,518 funders from around the world. This collaborative project will surely set a milestone in telling the untold story of Hizmet and the volunteers who have dedicated themselves to “living out of a suitcase” and rushing to serve humanity in any way they can.
The venue for the gala event was the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. 300 special guests from the greater Los Angeles area joined the Pacifica family in celebrating the exciting premiere of the documentary. Pacifica once again enjoyed the opportunity to connect with friends and companions as the bonds of love were renewed and strengthened and the words of encouragement lit up spirits.
After enjoying a delicious dinner and pleasant conversation with friends, along with a chance to personally meet the director and representatives of the production team, the host for the evening, fellow filmmaker Peggy Callahan, welcomed the guests as everyone took their seats for the night’s presentation.
Terry Spencer Hesser, director-producer and writer, along with Hakan Berberoglu from Niagara Foundation and Kenneth Hunter from Global Vision Productions were there to welcome guests and share their project with enthusiasm. Following the screening, they stepped onstage to answer questions and chat with the audience.
The documentary featured interviews with a variety of academics and friends who had come to know the Hizmet Movement and Fethullah Gulen through the activities of dialogue & cultural centers throughout the US. Also, as the documentary traveled through the countries of Turkey, Bosnia, Iraq and Somalia, “Love is a Verb” took the audience on a journey through how Hizmet volunteers are attempting to turn love into an actual verb, into action that we can see happening around the world.
Pacifica Institute wants to extend a genuine “thank you” to its entire Los Angeles family for sharing this special night with them.
For more info on the story of “Love is a Verb”, check out loveisaverbmovie.com and give support!
