Howling for God

In the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, two sheiks contend for power in a Sufi brotherhood. Both allege to meet the most important conditions for leading the community. The first because he directly descends from the previous sheik who led the monastery, the second because the means of power were handed over to him by that same ancestor in a dream. The conflict comes to a head with the right to execute the Nevruz ceremony, a service in which the dervishes pierce themselves with metal spikes and needles. The participants in this ritual, which is accompanied by special singing, are in trance so deeply that they do not feel any pain and there is no bloodletting. The film follows the two sheiks in their daily lives and in their contact with the believers. Director Dan Alexe has them both tell their stories and brings the two rivals together, on which occasion they seem to come to terms with one another. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)