S&P Awards

The Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2006
10 Items or Less By Brad Silberling A funny and inspiring film about two strangers who connect in a way that surprises both of them and enriches their lives. Feature
A Prairie Home Companion By Robert Altman A fine and funny movie that also gives us a keen sense of the impermanence of all creative endeavors and the fleeting nature of reality. Feature
Akeelah and the Bee By Doug Atchison The inspiring story of an eleven-year old African-American girl who claims her power with the help of 50,000 coaches. Feature
An Inconvenient Truth By Davis Guggenheim A traveling global warming show hosted by Al Gore that brims with insight, idealism, and hope. Documentary
Babel By Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu A multidimensional story that explores what happens when love is ignored, squandered, or annihilated by anger, alienation, hatred and violence. Feature
Blood Diamond By Edward Zwick An important film which opens our eyes to the bloody brutality of civil war, corporate malfeasance, and the training of child soldiers. Feature
Catch a Fire By Phillip Noyce A thought-provoking depiction of the process whereby self-righteous zealots who use barbaric tactics and torture to achieve their goals actually create more terrorists. Feature
Children of Men By Alfonso Cuaron A portrait of a future society that spotlights the issues we need to be addressing today. Feature
Darshan - The Embrace By Jan Kounen An ecstatic documentary about Amma, India's hugging saint, that reveals her large reserves of unconditional love, playfulness, compassion, and service. Special Interest
Duck Season By Fernando Eimbcke A light and breezy portrait of adolescence spiked with interesting observations on time, sexuality, and the search for meaning. Foreign
End of the Spear By Jim Hanon A spiritually uplifting film about the courage and compassion at the heart of the Christian path of nonviolence. Feature
Free Zone By Amos Gitai A powerful and sensitive film which takes us beyond racial and ethnic hatreds and bring us together in salutary ways. Foreign
Half Nelson By Ryan Fleck An engaging American drama about friendship as a curative force that can reach across the generations and transcend even racial barriers. Feature
Happy Feet By George Miller A triumphant, playful, and deeply spiritual animation classic by the Australian genius behind Babe. Feature
Iraq in Fragments By James Longley An engrossing award-winning documentary about the chaotic and bloody situation in Iraq as seen through the eyes of Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. Documentary
Jesus Camp By Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady A frightening and important documentary about the training of evangelical children soldiers in the culture wars. Documentary
Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas) By Christian Carion An extraordinary film about a miraculous occurrence during Christmas in World War I when men laid down their arms and fraternized with the enemy. Feature
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man By Lian Lunson The thrilling and reverential documentary on singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen. Documentary
Little Children By Todd Field One of the most original and nuanced suburban dramas ever to grace the screen about the complexity and intensity of yearning. Feature
Little Miss Sunshine By Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris A very funny and touching family drama about the wisdom that often comes not with success but with failure. Feature
Look Both Ways By Sarah Watt An imaginatively realized and well-acted Australian film about death, dying and grief. Feature
My Country, My Country By Laura Poitras The heroism of a busy Sunni doctor in Baghdad running for parliament in Iraq's January 30, 2005, election. Foreign
Offside By Jafar Panahi A funny, poignant, and jubilant Iranian film about some passionate female soccer fans that ends with a mystical moment of oneness. Foreign
Old Joy By Kelly Reichardt An evocative and melancholy portrait of two men whose friendship has run its course. Feature
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles By Zhang Yimou A heart-affecting Chinese film about an elderly man's journey of love that becomes a path of awakening for him. Foreign
Shakespeare Behind Bars By Hank Rogerson A stirring documentary that depicts the salutary effects of prison inmates performing in an annual Shakespeare production. Documentary
Shut Up and Sing By Barbara Kopple, Cecilia Peck A rousing documentary that salutes freedom of speech and the resiliency and creativity of the Dixie Chicks. Documentary
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days By Marc Rothemund A compelling and deftly acted portrait of a female freedom fighter against the Nazi war machine in 1943 Germany. Foreign
Sweet Land By Ali Selim A tender and touching film about the blooming of love, the poignant tug of place, and the challenges of openness in a rural Midwest community in the 1920s. Feature
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu By Cristi Puiu A sad and scary film about the ignominy of dying alone in a hospital room surrounded by strangers and without dignity. Foreign
The Ground Truth By Patricia Foulkrod A turning-point documentary which presents the truth about the war in Iraq in the profound and troubling words of veterans who fought there. Documentary
The Painted Veil By John Curran A beautiful and very believable story, set in China in the 1920s, about the personal transformation of a married couple. Feature
The Queen By Stephen Frears An audacious cinematic triumph that humanizes Queen Elizabeth in a time of crisis and change. Feature
The Road to Guantanamo By Mat Whitecross, Michael Winterbottom A gut-wrenching film that lifts the shroud of secrecy surrounding the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Feature
The Syrian Bride By Eran Riklis An extraordinary Israeli film that highlights the spiritual potencies of hospitality and forgiveness. Foreign
Vajra Sky Over Tibet By John Bush An extraordinary and enthralling documentary about the richness of traditional Tibetan Buddhism and the current threats to its continued existence in its homeland. Documentary
Venus By Roger Michell A touching and winning film of a veteran actor who opens our hearts to the bounties of a life animated by kindness and pleasure. Feature
Water By Deepa Mehta An extraordinary film which depicts the plight of Indian widows and their yearning for liberation. Foreign
Wondrous Oblivion By Paul Morrison A small and intimate English film about playing cricket, coming of age, and the respect for diversity that seems so hard to learn. Feature
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