Film Highlights Sufi Night at the Rio

If You Go
WHAT: "Rumi — Turning Ecstatic"
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.
COST: $18 advance, $20 at the door.
DETAILS: 457-9000 or 429-9600.
SENTINEL STAFF REPORT

Canadian filmmakers Tina Petrova and Stephen Roloff present their film "Rumi — Turning Ecstatic" in an evening of film, music and dance tonight at the Rio Theatre. The event is being sponsored by the Santa Cruz Film Festival and will feature a live performance of Sufi music from the ensemble Baraka, under the direction of Kabir Helminski. The highlight of the evening will be the "Rumi" film, an exploration of the writings and work of Rumi, a 13th-century Sufi mystic, particularly in the life of Petrova who, six years ago, was involved in a nearly fatal traffic accident. The film is Petrova’s own account of how the work of Rumi helped her in her long recovery. The evening will also feature a performance of the Whirling Dervishes of the Threshold Society.