History: Elda Hartley
The history of the Hartley Film Foundation starts with a woman named Elda Hartley, who throughout her life asked of those she met, "What are you doing to change the world for the better?"
Elda had a long career in filmmaking before she answered that question and realized her longtime dream of producing films that explored world religions and interfaith issues. She was first a Broadway and Hollywood actress.
Elda realized her greatest dream in 1965, while on a vacation tour to Japan with Alan Watts. She decided to make a film on Zen and Alan Watts volunteered to narrate the film. At the age of fifty-six, Elda Hartley was on her way to producing documentary films of a spiritual nature - the beginning of her third career.
After completing many films about the world's spiritual and religious traditions (including the well-known documentaries Requiem for a Faith and The Sufi Way), she turned to films about personal growth and worked with some of the foremost spiritual leaders, consciousness researchers and healing pioneers of our time. Elda collaborated with Margaret Mead, Joseph Campbell, Edgar Mitchell, Jean Huston, Ram Dass, Alan Watts, Huston Smith and Larry Dossey, among others.
Hartley often said that the goal of her work was greater than simply making religious, spiritual and interfaith films and so, in 1976, she co-founded the Hartley Film Foundation. Through the Foundation, Elda promoted an understanding of "interconnectedness," in her words, "... that transcends race, religion and national boundaries - promoting wisdom across the ages - an understanding of our spiritual oneness that can ultimately lead to world peace."
Elda Hartley passed away on her 90th birthday, March 6, 2001.
Source URL (retrieved on 12/07/2009 - 1:51pm): http://hartleyfoundation
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