THE STORY
Penn’s Seed: The Awakening is a long-form documentary about the life and legacy of William Penn, an early advocate of religious freedom and democracy.
This film explores the historical contribution of Penn to the foundation of the United States, but more importantly explores how the latent legacy of Penn’s commitment to global peace and religious freedom is emerging in both national and global contexts.
William Penn (1644 –1718) was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and early Quaker. King Charles II handed over a large piece of his American land holdings to Penn, land which included present-day Pennsylvania and Delaware. Penn developed and planned the city of Philadelphia and founded what became the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The principles he set forth in crafting the framework of Pennsylvania’s government served as an inspiration for the United States Constitution. Unlike many others, Penn developed deep relationships and successful treaties with the Native American Lenni Lenape tribe.
As Penn's vision reappears prominently on the world stage, Global Story Films captures stories in multiple countries. Blending captivating storytelling and interviews with Native Americans, politicians, historians and world leaders, the filmmakers bring the story of William Penn and his “Holy Experiment” to life.
The fruition of the seeds Penn planted are evidenced in the following stories:
Local Penn historians Doug Miller, curator of Pennsbury Manor (William Penn’s country estate), Andrew Murphy, Peter Lillback and John Ruth tell the early story of Penn and his vision for a society built on the laws of love and religious freedom.
Local Penn historians Doug Miller, curator of Pennsbury Manor (William Penn’s country estate), Andrew Murphy and John Ruth tell the early story of Penn and his vision for a society built on the laws of love and religious freedom.
Author John Ruth is currently writing a book about the connection his community has to the legacy of William Penn, as the land upon which the community sits was purchased from Penn. He tells the story of Penn’s treaty with the Lenni Lenape Indians in which Penn calls them brothers as they both pledge to respect and care for each other as people sharing sacred land.
Abby Abildness of Healing Tree International conducts tours of Pennsylvania’s State Capitol building which displays Penn’s vision in art and quotations throughout. In the context of these tours, she reveals Penn’s vision of a land that would be ruled by the basic laws of God and love of neighbor as oneself.
In the spirit of William Penn's commitment to religious freedom, Sam Brownback, former United States Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, works tirelessly to bring together global leaders from all nations and all faith persuasions to work toward safeguarding the rights of all to safely worship God in the way they choose.
Abby Abildness travels to Kurdistan to meet with the Prime Minister to explore how Penn’s Holy Seed of a Nation has sprouted there, resulting in a leadership exchange with the Kurdish Democratic Party, as they bring their leaders to Pennsylvania. The Kurdish leaders now teach their people to be peaceable, despite being persecuted, to reflect and honor the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, as well as to extend hospitality to refugees in their land.