M at the Long Beach Peninsula drawing a seven-circuit labyrinth
“If you are unfamiliar with the work of Marilyn Freeman, you must get acquainted. These films have been transformative for me in the deep spiritual way that I have encountered other artists like Annie Dillard, Mary Oliver, and bell hooks.”
~ Gabriel Molinaro, MA, LMFTA Songwriter/Musician, and Marriage & Family Associate Therapist
Cinema Divina is the creative, contemplative practice of media artist and writer M Freeman designed to foster intimacy with the numinous. M invokes a rigorous and devotional process in making short lyrical films—meditations on everyday wonder, gratitude, contradictions, doubt, faith and love—and screens the films in guided contemplative practice for engagement with individual and communal participating audiences.
M re-imagines the ancient Judeo-Christian ritual of sacred reading or lectio divina in today’s audiovisual vernacular as Cinema Divina—a contemplative screening ritual to increase participants access to their own deeper wisdom and capacity for self healing and basic peace work. In Cinema Divina communal events or individual sessions, M guides participants through a ritual of four increasingly revealing viewings, silences, reflective writing, sharing and spacious listening.
Upcoming Cinema Divina events are announced here.
For permission to use any of M’s films in retreats, classes, services or any purpose other than individual, private, contemplative practice, please contact M through this site here.
To schedule customized group or individual Cinema Divina contemplative practice session/s with M, please reach out through the form on this site.
Screen Cinema Divina films here for individual, private, contemplative practice at Cinema Divina on Vimeo.