Rúhi’l Bahá’íSubmit footage
Vol. 01 · 2026

Rúhi’l Bahá’í

the spirit of Bahá’í

A short film, made by youth for youth. Filmed by Bahá’í youth around the world, in the communities they belong to.

Filmmaker Brief

Rúhi’l Bahá’í
Our purpose

The film works to capture the spirit of Bahá’í communities worldwide.

Four young people stand close together outdoors at sunset, one with hands raised overhead, backlit by warm light against a clear sky.
An overhead view shows a group of people seated at a long table set for a meal on a cobblestone square.
A ring of raised hands is photographed from below against a canopy of sunlit tree leaves.
A family gathers around a backlit fabric screen indoors at night, hands reaching toward silhouetted animal shapes.
A group of people sit on blankets on grass in a park, talking together under a partly cloudy sky.
People serve themselves food from pots and platters set on a counter in a dimly lit kitchen.
A large group sits and stands in a living room holding printed pages, with woven pendant lights hanging from the ceiling.
Two children sit on a hammock outdoors eating small oranges, with green trees and grass behind them.
A large group sits in a circle on a grass clearing surrounded by tall trees, with tents visible in the background.
Two people sit at a small table in a cluttered room, one eating and one drinking from a cup.

Rúhi’l Bahá’í means the spirit of Bahá’í.

It is what you feel in a community where love and fellowship show in the way people take part in ordinary moments: a grandmother’s smiling eyes, shared laughter, the quiet of a candlelit devotional.

A holistic view

Rúhi’l Bahá’í isn’t something a community has or doesn’t have.

Every single community has Rúhi’l Bahá’í, but the degree that it presents itself varies, and the ways it shows itself also vary.

Zahra Vink
A ring of raised hands is photographed from below against a canopy of sunlit tree leaves.
What it makes

Our filmmakers contribute towards two outcomes.

01

A short film

Showing the beauty, depth, and closeness of human connection in Bahá’í communities worldwide; presented as a cinematic art piece, rather than a documentary.

Co-Directors
Zahra Vink and Raina Shelton Price
Producer
Zahra Vink
Supported by
Baha’i Blog and R² AI Labs
02

A footage bank

The clips gathered along the way will be archived in a film bank, with the consent of everyone in them, for future Bahá’í film projects at the discretion of the Bahá’í World Centre, who will be the sole custodians of the archive.

What guides it

Three values guide this film.

01

Twofold purpose

Our filmmakers both develop themselves and their communities through their contributions to this project. Through collecting footage, they learn to identify the Rúhi’l Bahá’í already present in their local communities, finding the beauty in the stage of growth their communities are in. Watching the film they have contributed to allows them to see how their community fits into the frame of Bahá’í development as a puzzle piece, and provides them with inspiration from other communities of how to nurture and grow this sense of closeness and love within their communities.

02

All must surge, but the youth must soar

Through the process of the film, we are building a community where youth of varying skillsets can collaborate on one project, developing their skills in filmmaking, editing, and music production together. Although this is a youth-led project, we actively seek out and implement advice and mentorship of professionals from the wider community with many years of experience. We are building an ecosystem of creativity and empowerment, not a youth-only island.

03

Unity in diversity

While factors such as culture, geography, age, gender, socioeconomic background, and race can act as a funnel to shape the expression of Rúhi’l Bahá’í, at its heart, it is just the application of a strong love for humankind, and a desire to grow together as one.

Arts, crafts and sciences uplift the world of being, and are conducive to its exaltation.

Bahá’u’lláh
Your community

Your community has it too

Every community has the spirit, in its own degree and in its own way. The film is made of what you notice in yours.

Filmmaker BriefWrite to Raina and Zahra