British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

The Prophet

Synopsis

In The Prophet, BAFTA-nominated director and composer Gary Tarn (Black Sun, 2005) takes Kahlil Gibran’s classic novel and spins it into a cinematic exploration of love, life and loss. An intimate narration, performed by the British actress Thandie Newton, is integrated into a minimal score for orchestra, guitar, cello and synthesiser. This fictional text is juxtaposed against footage shot on Tarn’s solo travels to Lebanon, Serbia, New York, Milan and London. Finding beauty in the everyday, the film leaves space for each viewer to find their own meaning : an uninhibited eye observing the world through the lens of poetic wisdom.
First published in 1923, The Prophet, Gibran's hugely popular guide to living, has sold millions of copies worldwide and was the bible of the 60's counter-culture. It continues to be read and to inspire people around the world today.
Visit Film Website

Details

Year
2011
Type of project
Features
Running time
75 mins
Format
16mm, 8mm and HD digital film
Director
Gary Tarn
Producer
Gary Tarn
Executive Producer
B J Cunningham
Editor
Gary Tarn
Screenwriter
Kahlil Gibran
Director of Photography
Gary Tarn
Composer
Gary Tarn
Principal cast
Thandie Newton

Genre

Experimental Literary Adaptation

Categories

Fiction Documentary Artist Project and Video / Experimental

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Land Media Productions Limited

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Black Sun Black Sun

Director: Gary Tarn

Year: 2006

Tragically blinded in a random street mugging, Hugues de Montalembert defied expectation and continued to travel the world, alone. In Black Sun film-maker and composer Gary Tarn constructs a poetic meditation on an extraordinary life without vision.

Victorian Psycho Victorian Psycho

Director: Zachary Wigon

Year: 2026

n 1858, an eccentric young governess, Winifred Notty, arrives at the remote gothic manor Ensor House. As Winifred assimilates, staff begin to inexplicably disappear, and the owners wonder if something is amiss about this new governess. Official Selection Cannes Film Festival 2026 - World premiere - Un Certain Regard

Horror Thriller
A Town in Nova Scotia A Town in Nova Scotia

Director: Babak Jalali

Year: 2026

Leon, a widowed Irish senior, lives in a Merseyside council flat near his best friend Saleh. When Saleh needs help after surgery and news breaks of a deadly tower fire, Leon wrestles with his daughter's offer to relocate to Canada.

Drama