December 23, 2007

A REMINDER: TONIGHT, PLEASE TUNE IN...

Gedeon and Jules Naudet were the French filmmakers behind the 2002 CBS special 9/11, which aired in 140 nations, raised more than $2 million for the Uniformed Firefighters Association Scholarship Fund and earned both a Peabody and an Emmy Award (for best documentary). I served as an executive producer of the program and wrote about the Naudet brothers' 9/11 ordeal in Watching the World Change (pages 182-195), extensively and exclusively, thanks to our having been family friends for many, many years.

TONIGHT, CBS will air the Naudets' latest effort (check your local listings). Their documentary, called In God's Name, which has been getting good buzz in the press, was two years in the making. It focuses on the daily lives and inner beliefs of the 12 leaders of the 12 major world religions. The brothers and CBS producer Susan Zirinksy, judging from the rough cuts and trailer I've seen, have produced a truly unique and unprecedented film -- visiting these spiritual figures in their prayer settings, in their bedrooms, and going about their daily rituals. Each religious figure was asked to address fundamental questions about his or her faith. The documentary contains breathtaking footage from around the globe and will take viewers on a spiritual pilgrimage that has the intimacy of a religious retreat and yet the sweep of a David Leen or Richard Attenborough epic.

For a slideshow of images of the Naudets' dozen subjects, visit this NEWSWEEK link.

Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the world’s Anglican community (representing 73 million faithful)

Photo by Stephan Crasneanscki
for “In God’s Name” by Gedeon and Jules Naudet/CBS

...And while we're on the spiritual path, I'd like to offer best wishes for the holidays, and the New Year, to the community of readers who visit this blog.

Many thanks for stopping by from time to time.

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