Closer to God | Pakistan Premiere at Capri Cinema

Ticket Wala October 18, 2019

1 minute read

Closer to God | Premiere Documentary Screening at Capri Cinema

A fundamental symptom of the human condition is the drive to live a life that transcends our mortality: to find convictions beyond reality that validate our actions in this material world and enrich our journey with meaning.

That drive manifests itself in a myriad of ways. Each individual has a different definition and conception of the divine that informs their search for proximity to it.

Are we infinitesimal splinters of a collective divinity? Can we get closer to God through internal introspection, alignment and self-knowledge? Is God hidden in the details of our physical journeys, surging through the connecting narrative threads of our entire lives?

This weekend, the premier of a spectacular Swiss documentary set in Pakistan will be exploring these profound questions on screen at the timeless Capri Cinema. Annete Berger’s Closer to God follows the story of two deeply spiritual Pakistani men and their relationships to their faith.

A wandering mystic known as Gogha Sain, wearing heavy metal rings around his shins as he continues a lifelong pilgrimage through the desert, travels with Ustad Sami, master singer and custodian of centuries of musical legacy and tradition. As they move through the beautiful landscapes and societies of Pakistan, visiting beautiful holy sites in succession, their exchanges of dialogue not only illustrate the differences in their approaches to faith, but ultimately the most important commonality that leads them to respect each other.

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Join us this Saturday 19th October 2019 at Capri Cinema for the screening of this amazing music documentary. Music documentary with Ustad Naseeruddin Saami & Sons. People have different ideas on how to get closer to God. The makers of this fascinating Swiss documentary follow two Pakistani men. One is a dervish or mystic, undertaking a life-long pilgrimage with heavy metal rings on his legs. He walks through the desert until his feet are raw, praying at every shrine he comes across along the way. The other is the custodian of a centuries-old musical tradition, for whom the idea of God lies in self-knowledge, insight and harmony with the environment – a harmony that he strives to achieve through life-long study and passing on his knowledge to new generations. In Pakistan, it is impossible for them to act together as the risk of attacks means any large meetings are prohibited. The film follows the men as they visit impressive holy sites, as well as in their everyday conversations, and provides a beautiful, sideways look at Pakistani society. After the screening, stick around for a Q&A with the director and an in-depth conversation on Sufism and its presence in the Western world.

A post shared by Goethe-Institut Pakistan (@goetheinstitut_pakistan) on Oct 9, 2019 at 12:46am PDT

Journalist, Lecturer, Producer and Director Annette Berger is in collaboration with Goethe Institut Pakistan for this wonderful music documentary. Immediately following the screening, audiences can stay on for an in-depth conversation and Q&A session with Annette about Sufism and it’s prevalence in the West.

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