Jelaluddin Rumi was born in 1207 and by the age of 37 had become a famous scholar and popular teacher. But his life changed forever when he met the powerful wandering dervish Shams of Tabriz. Rumi said, “What I had thought of before as God, I met today in a human being.” An extraordinary esoteric friendship between the two men unfolded, and when Shams mysteriously disappeared, Rumi experienced a transformation from scholar to mystic poet. More than seven hundred years later, Rumi is the bestselling poet in America.

Narrated by Debra Winger, Rumi: Poet of the Heart explores how Rumi was discovered in the West and features two of the individuals responsible – Coleman Barks and Robert Bly. In English. Not Rated. Director: Haydn Reiss (US 1998) 58 min