International Women’s Conference at the Art of Living Center, India — the LIFE screening was a great success 🌈

The International Women’s Conference was held over three days, from February 14 to 16.
It brought together people from many countries who contribute to society internationally.

We were given the wonderful opportunity

to screen LIFE INOCHI at this gathering.

Passion

Compassion

Dispassion — calmness

Over three days, people engaged in many forms of service to society

gathered at the headquarters of the Art of Living Center, an NGO active around the world,

and spoke on these themes.

Ndileka Mandela, described in this account as the daughter of an African president;

Dr. Aghadir Jwaihan, who is currently raising 70 children from an orphanage, having cared for 300 in the past,

and is described here as a physician to a royal household;

and Maithree Wickramasinghe, referred to here as the wife of Sri Lanka’s former president—the talks given by these three women

were full of passion and truly moving.

Each speaker had seven minutes.

Being given 20 minutes for a film screening

felt all the more extraordinary once we were there.

LIFE INOCHI was scheduled for the final day.

As we waited, our hearts full of anticipation,

we spent two days listening to stories from different countries,

with interpretation by Neela from the Art of Living Center, who had connected us with this gathering.

And at last, the morning of the third day arrived...

The world premiere of the English version of LIFE began!

Please, let everything go smoothly. 🙏

How would people respond?

Our hearts were pounding...

Little by little, everyone’s attention deepened.

We could feel the energy of people being drawn into LIFE.

When the film reached the scenes featuring Lennart’s photographs,

the hall was enveloped in a gentle stillness.

Some people began to cry!

Then boxes of tissues began to be passed around!

As the film approached its ending,

we could sense so many people opening to their emotions.

And in that stillness, the screening ended.

Director Masahiko Hashimoto and Sayaka were called to the stage.

At that moment,

it was as though all the energy that had been gathering in the hall burst forth.

An unending standing ovation ✨✨✨✨
😭🌏💕💓👏

Amid the applause, we unexpectedly found ourselves on stage.

We had planned only a screening,
but were invited to give a speech as well!

We shared the feelings
that had led us to create this film. 😭

Afterward, so many people came to us,

saying, “I was really moved‼️
I was really touched‼️
Thank you so much✨”

Some shared their thoughts
with tears still shining in their eyes.

A stream of people came to ask,
“How can we see this again?”

😭🙏

“I want children to see it.”
“I want my own child to see it.”
“I want to cry some more...”

We felt that across borders, ethnicities, and nationalities,
our hearts are connected.

We were also told that in India, some pregnancies are terminated
when the child is not a boy,
and that hospitals are therefore moving away
from disclosing the baby’s sex.

Someone working on this issue told us
they wanted to show LIFE as part of their activities,
to help communicate
the wonder of life.

Several speakers who had watched the film
then spoke from the stage
about how deeply
LIFE INOCHI had moved them.

The word “WOMB” also began to appear more often afterward...

We could feel that the film had reached people’s hearts,
and that made us truly happy. 😭

We will now begin preparing in earnest
to bring LIFE INOCHI
to the world‼️

Even if it takes time,

we want to find a way for its message to reach people with care.

It was a truly, truly wonderful experience.

To everyone at the Art of Living Center who created this gathering,

to everyone who connected us with this opportunity,

and to everyone who always supports our work...

Our hearts are truly full of gratitude. 🌏💕

At the end, a very special encounter awaited us…

We also met someone who works for peace around the world,

revered not only by so many people in India, but by people across the world:

Guruji Sri Sri, founder of the Art of Living, and Didi.

I had never met anyone with such a presence before.

It was a precious experience.

I wished we could have talked for longer.

In the LIFE WORLD FRIENDS group,

we shared videos on Facebook as events unfolded. 😊💓
https://readyfor.jp/projects/life

We will share a fuller report
on our time in India soon. ✨