The film “The Man who Built Peace” was shown at St Michael’s House on 10th November as part of Coventry Peace Festival 2018. Afterwards Kelly Burks, Amina Khalid and Jacqui Daukes discussed the film with the audience.

Frank Buchman (1878 – 1961) was an American Lutheran minister and missionary, a revolutionary thinker and leader whose trust-building, reconciliation and peace efforts influenced the 20th century. Frank Buchman inspired many to address global challenges, yet his work remains largely unknown.

Buchman was the leader of “The Oxford Group”, a Christian fellowship combining social activities with a method of developing a spiritual life based upon the Four Absolutes of honesty, purity, unselfishness and love designed to counter personal fear and selfishness. The co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous met through the Oxford Group, and codified several of its tenets into AA, the first twelve-step program.

Buchman’s engagement across Europe including Germany, and noticing the “re-armament race” lead, in 1938, the Oxford Movement to become “The Moral Re-Armament” movement devoted to reconciliation and mediation.  In 1946 a large hotel at Caux Switzerland was purchased and became a centre for 1000s of international visitors. Buchman with hundreds of members would visit countries in Europe Asia and Africa. He received honours and recognition from Germany, France, Morocco and Tunisia.

In 2001 Moral Re-Armament became Initiatives of Change (IofC) with programs in over 60 countries.

The film was directed by Imad Karam and co-produced by Kelly Burks, who introduced the film in Coventry and discussed it along with Amina Khalid, Head of Sustainable Communities at IofC UK and Jacqui Daukes IofC Partnerships Manager. It premiered at the Illuminate Film Festival and has won numerous awards including Best Documentary at The Global Independent Film Awards 2018.

The screening was organised by Coventry Lord Mayor’s Committee for Peace and Reconciliation and supported by a Peace Festival grant.

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More about the film

Initiatives of Change UK