16 Friday 17 July, 2020 England on ENGLAND ON SUNDAY Film competition highlights religious freedom worldwide

A NEW film featuring Mariya Dostzadah Goodbrake has won top prize in a competition Mariya designed to highlight religious Dostzadah freedom. Goodbrake the freedom to contribute Her film, Long Road to economically to their new Freedom, tells her story of society. immigration to Canada and On 1 August 1, Empower then the US, where she and her Women Media and the team – in collaboration with Religious Freedom & Business local businesses in Kansas City Foundation will host an online – empower refugees and film festival and award promote freedom of belief ceremony to honour and through Global FC, a celebrate the 2020 winning football/mentoring programme films. Registration for the film that bridges diverse cultures to festival is now open ‘come together, forming just (https://bit.ly/2ZosDgm). communities where all are free The top films will be to be fully-known and fully- presented before business loved in pursuit of their God- leaders, United Nations given purpose and potential’. partners, NGO and faith The film was entered into the leaders at the Global Business Religious Freedom & Business & Peace Awards in Tokyo from Film Competition, which is 23-25 August. The Religious designed to explore the impact Freedom & Business of freedom of religion and Foundation will award each belief (FoRB) in the workplace grand prize winner of the film and community. competition $5,000 and a trip to The organisers said that, and a non-profit director in woman living in a society where toughest places in the world.” Tokyo to present their short whether inspired by real-life Kansas City we support diversity is shunned, but she Finalists hailed from films prior to the 2021 events or fictional stories, refugees and promote freedom longs for freedom of belief. She Afghanistan, Canada, India, Paralympic Games at the animated, or experimental, the of belief together.” finds it in a land where Article Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Global Business & Interfaith films seek to affirm that FoRB This year’s competition, 18 of the Universal Declaration United Arab Emirates, and the Peace Awards. is good for business and together with Empower Women of Human Rights is celebrated: US. This is the third annual thriving communities. Media, showcases inclusivity Everyone has the right to The finalists include: Her Empower Women Film Mariya Dostzadah and multi-faith collaboration in freedom of thought, conscience Factor, a film arguing for Competition sponsored by Goodbrake said: “Our family the workplace, marketplace and and religion. women’s empowerment in the Empower Women Media in fled Afghanistan as war ravaged society. “In an age when there is an Middle East by Ruba Abbassi association with the Religious our country, now as an Afghan Meanwhile, Maral Karee urgent need for inclusion and and Hiba Eid (Jordan); Together Freedom & Business American I reflect back on my (Iran and Canada) claimed appreciation of diversity, this as by Sarina Faizy Foundation (RFBF). The first family’s journey to the West in grand prize for the best film competition has (Afghanistan), who tells her competition was held at the hope of new life and new animated short film. empowered new voices from women’s empowerment and start of the 2018 Paralympic opportunities and freedom. Her offering, District 18 around the world to contribute freedom of belief story under Games in Korea where Love “Today as a business owner (below) is the story of a young to the discussion,” says Brian Taliban rule; and Freedom to Has No Borders by Deborah Grim, president of the Religious Succeed by Lydia Sunberg Paul (UK) and Christy Anastas Freedom & Business (Hungary ) and Sage Taber (Palestine and UK) took grand Foundation, co-sponsor of the (US) who share why prize. competition. immigrants and refugees need In 2019, the grand prize went “I look forward to to A Different Way, a film by showcasing these stories in the Ambassador ‘Sujay’ Suzan months to come, especially in Johnson Cook and Lauren support of religious inclusion in Merkley (US), which workplaces worldwide,” Grim documented how Ambassador added. Sujay, who served as the United “We are passionate about States Ambassador-at-Large for empowering women to create International Religious media for their mission,” said Freedom from April 2011 to Shirin Taber, Director of October 2013, brought faith to cosponsor Empower Women the front lines as a 9/11 first Media. “I am thrilled to see responder in New York City. women sharing their religious All the winning and finalist freedom stories and expanding films can be found at their outreach to some of the https://bit.ly/3fveJia.

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Some cinemas open this week, though most are waiting for more new films to show. Steve Parish reviews Love Sarah (cert. 12A), out now as one of the first new releases, a British sort of romcom from debut feature director Eliza Schroeder and writer Jake Brunger Falling in love with the menu Isabella (Shelley Conn) and her friend Sarah (Candice Brown) are starting a bakery on Golborne Road in Notting Hill, with Sarah as cook, but Sarah dies in an accident and the unborn business is in trouble. Sarah’s dancer daughter FILM OF THE WEEK Clarissa (Shannon Tarbet), down after her mother’s death, breaks up with her boyfriend and is homeless. She lands on her grandmother Mimi (Celia Imre), who is guilty about seeing little of her daughter, and withdrawing from meeting old friends. Clarissa moves in with Mimi, in her nice mews house, and encourages her back to a class to polish her idea is a unique selling point – complication - for Isabella as former circus skills (a surprise make stuff for their own much as Clarissa – but a not to be spoiled). multicultural community, the standard romcom device of Clarissa thinks she and stuff people miss, “Around the losing then winning in love Isabella could still start the world in 80 bakes”, though that overcomes doubt. bakery together, with financial may seem a bit of a confection It’s got lots of funny and help from Mimi. Enter Matthew of an idea with so many round- poignant moments, and a gentle Gregory, Sarah’s former lover – the-world shops. feel-good vibe, tempered by whom Isabella calls a Felix is good at all sorts, wondering what a pandemic pretentious womaniser - as an including rescuing Mimi’s would do to a business like this. unlikely applicant for the job of earring from a waste trap, Indeed, with no online outlet baker (he’s been chef at a which goes straight back on planned, how this fares will be restaurant with two Michelin her ear, which is not so good. interesting, as it will be one of stars, and he’s good). It’s not the most romantic thing only a few releases to show in They choose Love Sarah as to do, but a night at the opera is real cinemas, but it deserves to the name for the bakery – a more conventional courting. do well. really a cake and coffee shop – Clarissa’s sudden suspicion The love interest is mostly but with no grand opening, and about Matthew’s motive for his about the food – the strapline is not many customers, they involvement (his relationship “This film is guaranteed to belatedly try to get publicity. In shops there are in the area. systems – and he likes seeing with her mother) leads to his make you hungry”. Rather than comes the (nice or nosey) Living in a flat opposite, he’s the world but now he says “the admission of “unfinished a soundtrack (the incidental neighbour Felix (Bill Paterson), an inventor – a new line in world comes to us”. It’s a business”, and that might music is by Enis Rotthoff) they pointing out how many similar advanced infra-red security moment of inspiration as his require a DNA test. It’s a should issue the menu.

Music Choice

Myrkur FOLKESANGE

I’m going to push the boat out with my rudimentary knowledge of European languages and boldly state that this album title means Folk Songs – which is appropriate, as it is an album of Danish folk songs. At first glance you look at the cover and see a picture that looks like a 1960s book of Heidi, all traditional dress and innocence, but there is a back-story here that we’ll come to later. The bottom line is that if you are a fan of the Clannad girls, Maire Brennan and/or Enya, you should love this (especially “Leaves of Yggdrasil,” one of the two tracks in English, and “Harpens Kraft”). This is an album rich in ethereal splendour couching simple songs, and it is a magical combination. Being folk songs, they are fairly straightforward tunes, easy to learn and pass on. It may be actual Danish proper words, but I suspect that “dah-dah-dee-o” in “Ella” or the “zai-zip-un-dood-un-dah-day” in the track “Reiar” are the Scandinavian equivalent of our fol-de-rol. That simplicity only occasionally touches on repetition (“Fager som en Ros”) and shifts the listener’s attention onto the overall sound, and while there is quite different instrumentation from track to track, the whole has a rich, warm mystical and airy. The Danish probably helps it to feel that way, too. atmosphere. And that back story? Amalie Bruun (who ui sMyrkur) has been a death metal There are normally only a few instruments at a time here: often strings drones, a singer for much of her career. You’d never guess it from this beautiful collection. simple piano, a light acoustic guitar or cello. But on top of all this are often layers If you want to try it, the good news in these testing times is that it’s currently of multi-tracked and reverbed strings and vocal harmonies that make it feel streaming free on YouTube. 14 Friday 17 July , 2020 REVIEW / TV & Radio Steve Morris

on TV The secrets of the motorway

The Hidden Wilds of the challenging. Standing beneath ambulances go by to Northwick Motorway a motorway bridge as the cars Park Hospital, nature is still BBC 4 and iPlayer hurtle past, she feels doing its thing. The flowers something of the alien force of bloom and the birds sing. I have thundered round the the road. She tells us that it is Thank God. M25, London’s orbital no accident that novelist JG The programme has a motorway, countless times Ballard decided to live in a fascinating segment on Patrick without giving anything about it modest house – a 1930s semi Abercrombie. He was based at a second-thought other than near Shepperton - near a London City Hall and drew up a getting to my destination safely. motorway: he understood the magisterial plan for the Helen Macdonald’s engaging, if odd alienation of such places. remaking of London after the slightly long, documentary has Above all, the most powerful devastation of World War 2. It given me pause for thought. message is that life has the was a Utopian masterpiece. Of The idea is an interesting one most extraordinary tenacity course, it never happened – – that the M25 is in fact an and force. Even in the most such plans never do. His idea amazing place of natural and plants that were put in the notorious and indecent- unpromising places, life begins for a series of looped wonder, even if it looks place actually make up a new, if looking stinkhorn. again. Nature has an in-built motorways through the new unpromising. Macdonald tells narrow, forest. Wildlife And then there is the history desire to go on and to London never got off the us that the motorway runs for flourished and adapts. I had no of the construction that I had reproduce. Creation sings ground. Instead we got the 117 miles and has been with us idea that the great tit has no idea about. Some of the God’s praises, and nothing will M25. Chris Rea dubbed it ‘The for over 30 years. This has adapted its song to a higher kinks in the road were there to stop it. We just need to slow Road to Hell’. It feels like that given time for the trees planted pitch so it can be heard above allow historic houses to down enough to notice and to when we are stuck in traffic. to buffer out the noise of the traffic. Ingenious. There are survive. Other places were less experience the wonderment of Perhaps though, like many vehicles to grow and for wildlife other tiny miracles. Moss has lucky – bulldozed or with land it all. unpromising sites, it reminds to adapt to this monstrous begun to colonise the concrete. split in two. In this lockdown I have often us of the beauty of creation, the urban highway. Kestrels find their prey on the Macdonald’s documentary is noticed the way the garden has power of human ingenuity and Indeed, the ribbon of trees verges. Fungi abounds – even both optimistic and sprung back to life. As the the joy in unloved places.

3pm Choral Evensong, From Chich- John Agard, ester Cathedral during the 2010 TV& Radio Radio 4, Southern Cathedrals Festival, Sunday with the choirs of Chichester, Salisbury and Winchester Cathedrals, Radio 3 Monday 20 July Friday 17 July 9.45am Daily Service, Radio 4 LW 5.43am . A spiritual comment and prayer to begin Tuesday 21 July the day with Rachel Gardner, President of the Girl’s Brigade 7.48am , Radio 4 and a Director at the Youth 9.45am Daily Service, Radio 4 LW charity Youthscape, Radio 4 9.45am Daily Service, Radio 4 LW Wednesday 22 July

Saturday 18 July 5.43am Prayer for the Day, Radio 4 9.45am Daily Service, Radio 4 LW 5.43am Prayer for the Day. A reflection 11.30amMiriam And Youssef, Radio 4 and prayer to start the day with 3.30pm Choral Evensong. From St Canon Simon Doogan, Radio 4 Alban’s Church in Holborn, 10.15pm The Moral Maze, Radio 4 represented in fairy tales, Haile Selaissie. How did the London, with Genesis Sixteen, mythology and religions, Radio Ethiopian King Haile Selassie Radio 3 Sunday 19 July 4 become the god for the Rasta- 8pm Moral Maze. Combative, 8.00am Religious service, BBC Local fari community?, BBC World provocative and engaging live 5.43am comes from the Radio Network. Service. debate examining the moral church of St Michael in 8.10am Sunday worship. A Word for All 1.15pm Songs of Praise. Eyam. In this issues behind one of the week’s Southampton, Radio 4 Seasons, A service celebrating episode the Rev Kate Bottley news stories. #moralmaze, 6am Good Morning Sunday, the Rev the Catholic Church’s ‘Year of finds out about the village vicars Radio 4 Kate Bottley and Jason Moham- the Word’ and the importance of of Eyam, Derbyshire, who initi- mad present uplifting stories scripture from the Diocese of ated lockdown 355 years ago to Thursday 23 July about life, love and modern spir- Leeds, Radio 4 protect the rest of northern ituality. Today they’re joined by 10.45amSunday Morning Live. Sean England from the bubonic 5.43am Prayer for the Day, Radio 4 Nigel Slater and Giles Cooper to Fletcher and Sally Phillips take plague, BBC1 9.45am Daily Service, Radio 4 LW hear about a new, online adap- a look at the week’s talking 2.45pm The Way I See it. Roxane Gay 10.45pm Lemn Sissay: The Memory of tion of Nigel’s book-cum-play points and explore the ethical and Christ’s entry into Journal- Me. Following the publication Toast, which is based on Nigel’s and religious issues of the day. ism. a radiophonic art exhibi- of his new memoir My Name Is award-winning biography of the Alongside lively chat, the show tion, as 30 of the world’s most Why, writer Lemn Sissay tells same name, Radio 2 also shines a light on inspiring, creative minds choose their Alan Yentob what it was like to 6.05am : Into unique and occasionally unusu- favourite work from the Muse- grow up as the only black child the dark. The poet John Agard al stories and people, BBC One um of Modern Art in New York, in a sleepy market town outside considers the way darkness is 11.30amHeart and Soul. The Divinity of Radio 4 Wigan in the 1970s, BBC One