Film Producer, Steve Sarowitz and the Making of The Gate

In this episode, Cloud9 interviews Chicagoan Steve Sarowitz, a successful business entrepreneur turned film producer. Steve first heard about the Baha’i Faith in his early 20s while attending college, and was instantly attracted to the Baha’i concept of progressive revelation. Although he was deeply moved by the Baha’i teachings, he waited almost 30 years before declaring his faith publicly, while on a serendipitous trip to Akka, Israel, where he visited the Baha’i Holy Sites and Shrines. When he returned to Chicago, eager to share his news, he was encouraged by a friend to make a movie about this new Faith he had joined.  

Following a series of fortuitous events, Steve set out on a journey with producer and philanthropist Peter Samuelson and award-winning film director Bob Hercules to produce a documentary film about the herald of the Baha’i Faith, The Bab. Titled The Gate, the movie highlights the fascinating story, life, teachings and ministry of the founder of the Babi Faith, The Bab—which means “the gate.”

Working with an amazing team of producers, actors, writers, collaborators and experts, Steve shares his experience about telling the story of a prophet that has never been made into a film before. In this interview we learn of the exciting insights Steve gained about the life of The Bab, the challenges he faced in making the film, the new friendships that were made, and what’s in store for the upcoming release of The Gate.

I am, I am, the promised One! I am the One whose name you have for a thousand years invoked, at whose mention you have risen, whose advent you have longed to witness, and the hour of whose Revelation you have prayed God to hasten. – The Bab, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in God Passes By, p. 21.

Find out more about The Gate Film at www.thegatefilm.com.