I Named Her Angel

A film by Nefin Dinc

The Whirling Dervishes, also known as the Mevlevi Brotherhood, are part of the Sufi mystic tradition of Islam. While little is known in the Western world about their traditions, the filmmaker gained rare access to a Mevlevi religious den who allowed her to film their practices. For a year she followed Elif, a 12 -year-old Turkish girl, who undertakes the spiritual and physical training to learn ritual whirling.

In this colorful film we see the gentle Elif attend meetings where she listens to the spiritual leader talk about matters of life and death, being human, the meaning of the colors of the Tenures (robes) worn by the worshippers, and the nature of Allah.. She learns the teachings of Rumi, the mystic poet, who was the founder of the Dervishes in the 13th Century .She understands. She masters the trance-like state that allows dervishes to mentally detach themselves from their bodies and dance without becoming dizzy.

The film concludes by showing the Seb--i-Arus ceremony at the centuries -old Galata Mevlevi Temple where Elif conquers her stage fright and joins in the extraordinary dance. An important film that shows viewers a different face of Islam.

Washington, DC Independent Film Festival, 2007
Tiburon International Film Festival, 2007
Hot Springs International Film Festival, 2006
MESA FilmFest, 2006
Dallas Video Festival, 2006

30 min. Video or DVD. Purchase $295. Video rental $55.