Film: The Sultan and the Saint Bradford

International humanitarian charity Penny Appeals announces the UK film tour of “The Sultan and The Saint” starting from Oct 11th at Cineworld cinema in Glasgow. This docu-drama is based on the true story of one of the greatest encounters in the history of battle, set during the time of the Crusades when East and West frequently clashed in bloody battles.

At the turn of the 12th century two men of faith, one a Christian preacher by the name of Francis of Assisi, the other Sultan Al-Kamil, ruler of the Egyptian Muslim kingdom, met on a battlefield as one of the largest Crusader armies ever assembled attempted to conquer Egypt. As the battle raged, the crusaders became trapped and were held to the point of starvation, but Francis of Assisi crossed enemy lines to plead with Al-Kamil for support – and the Sultan responded with one of the greatest humanitarian acts in the history of warfare, saving his enemy’s army by giving them food.

Directed by Alexander Kronemer and narrated by Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons, the film sheds light on the long history of dehumanising rhetoric towards non-Europeans and non-Christians. Generations of escalating conflict between East and West led to both sides viewing the other as violent, evil and barbaric enemies.

Penny Appeal’s CEO, Aamer Naeem, says: “We at Penny Appeal are delighted to support this important film, which shows the historic encounter between two men of faith who value mutual respect and peace highly enough to resolve a prolonged conflict. I have no doubt that it will shed a new light on this part of history.”