Aya Distribution Touba

With unprecedented access, Touba reveals a different face of Islam, one which is so essential to these divisive times. The film chronicles the annual Grand Magaal pilgrimage of one million Sufi Muslims to the holy Senegalese city of Touba. One of the rare films still shot on celluloid film, its breath-takingly vivid cinematography by Scott Duncan and integrated soundtrack elevates it to the level of a humanist film poem. This dynamic and immersive observational film takes us inside the Mouride Brotherhood--one of West Africa's most elusive organizations and one of the world's largest Sufi communities. The pilgrims travel from all over the world to pay homage to the life and teachings of Cheikh Amadou Bamba. His non-violent resistance to the French colonial persecution of Muslims in the late 19th century inspired a national movement and doctrine. Until this day, freedom of religious expression through pacifism is still practiced by millions of his followers. These are lessons the world can learn.

Dir. Chai Vasarhelyi, 2013, Wolof and French with English subtitles, 83m