Steve Bosserman

The Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations @CanadaONU hosted a screening of Mary Darling’s directorial feature debut of Cast Aside the Clouds, in collaboration with the Baháʼí International Community. The film follows the story of Layla, a young Bahá’i woman and Sasan, a secular Muslim doctor, as they fall in love in Iran. As their relationship unfolds through the film, the story explores the systematic persecution faced by Bahá’ís in Iran at every juncture. In a State that does not recognize the Bahá’i faith and existence as legitimate, Layla is not granted the rights guaranteed by the Iranian Constitution, including the right to an education or to practice her faith safely. This narrative, based on a true story, examines the ways in which prejudice shapes societies, but also how love and courage have the power to bridge divides in favor of social cohesion and unity. As stated by Ambassador Gort @MichaelCGort , “The Baha’i International Community has long been a respected voice at the United Nations, fostering principles of unity, justice, and shared progress that enriches global dialogue and cooperation.” Darling’s film encapsulates these principles with one of the most heart-wrenching lines in her film, spoken by the protagonist to her jailer, “My faith gives me the power to forgive you.” We thank Mary Darling for her incredibly thoughtful research, execution and deeply intentional messaging about the Baháʼí faith and the systematic mistreatment faced by the community. We are grateful to the Permanent Mission of Canada and to @drmaisato Mai Sato, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, who joined director Mary Darling and @siminfa, BIC Representative Simin Fahandej, for a panel discussion that followed the screening. #CastAsideTheClouds #FoRB #BahaiRights @BahaiBIC_Rights