Salma Hayek’s New Animated Film ‘The Prophet’ Brings All Religions Together

By Alison Lesley --
15 Aug 2015 --

Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Based on Kahlil Gibran’s volume of poetry, Salma Hayek’s film The Prophet cuts across religious boundaries with views on marriage, freedom, love, and more.

Salma Hayek’s new animated film The Prophet which she both produced and to which she lent her vocal acting talents, has several messages that bring together all religions, the Huffington Post reports.

The Prophet is based on the volume of poetry of the same name by Lebanese-American author Kahlil Gibran. The book has sold over 100 million copies since 1923.

The film focuses on eight separate issues that cut across any religious boundaries including children, eating, drinking, freedom, marriage, work, love and death. “I think it’s nice to remember that it was an Arab man who wrote a philosophy book that brings all religions together,” said Hayek.

In an era when religion plays an enormous role in the politics of the world, Gibran’s original vision is refreshing. Religious discussion sits at the center of most debates of violence between countries and also has a hand in the gay rights movement which has gained momentum over the past year.

Hayek believes that the film version can also have a positive effect on those who go to see it. “This is exactly the kind of thing we need to expose children to, a film that talks about finding your own voice, a film that talks about not jumping into judgment, a film that talks about tolerance.”

Happy Day everyone! Looking forward to seeing Salma Hayek's The Prophet. Enjoy! xoxo
— cc lindh (@cc_lindh) July 31, 2015

The film has already opened in New York and Los Angeles, and will hit screens around the world over the next month. A paperback version of Gibran’s The Prophet has also hit bookshelves, continuing a run since its original publication has never been out of print.

Positive, spiritual and uplifting movies can struggle at the box office. It remains to be seen how The Prophet will do, especially buoyed by the star power of not only Hayek, but also Liam Neeson, John Krasinski, Alfred Molina, and Frank Langella, reports the New York Daily News.