Baba’s Birthday

a journey of the heart

Baba’s Birthday
a journey of the heart

Project Status Produced by

Baba’s Birthday is a 52 minute English documentary.

Log Line
Luke, a young Australian follower of spiritual master Meher Baba, makes
a pilgrimage to India to appear in the classic play ‘Leila and Majnun’, to PO Box 956
celebrate Baba’s birthday. Maleny QLD 4552 Australia
Tel: (+61) 418 965 517
michael@eaglespiritmedia.com

US Distribution
Love Street Bookstore
Tel: +1 323 730 5281
bookstore@meherabode.org
www.lovestreetbookstore.com

The tomb of Meher Baba in Meherabad, India

Production Team
Writer/Director: Peter Sumner
Producer: Michael Ney
Orignal Music: Christopher Gordon
Orchestra Recording: Simon Leadley
Location Recording: William Bullock
Audio Post: Marcus Longfoot (Full Circle Audio)
Additional Stills & Video: William Bullock & Lynn Burgos
Director of Photography: Michael Ney
Editor: Carolina Mitchell
Script Consultant: Kris Wyld
Assoc. Producer: Lynn Burgos, Tony Foley
page 1
Brief Synopsis Baba’s Birthday
a journey of the heart
‘Baba’s Birthday’ is a one hour documentary of discovery for young people looking
for true and lasting values in an increasingly stressful and confusing world.
We follow Luke Sumner to Meherabad, up on the Deccan Plateau in India, where he
is due to rehearse his leading role in the play to celebrate Meher Baba’s birthday, the
Bedouin classic, ‘Leila and Majnun’.
In the following weeks, amidst the rich culture and bustle of India, Luke visits Meher
Baba’s birthplace in Pune, and his home at Meherazad where he meets and talks
with members of Baba’s family and Mandali – men and women who devoted their
lives to serving Baba.
Luke continues with the rehearsals and his demanding role as the love-crazed
Majnun, but finds time to talk with some of the many young men and women who
come to the pilgrim’s centre seeking answers to their deepest questions.

At sunrise on Meher Baba’s birthday Luke joins the crowd at His tomb, and the big
night of ‘Leila and Majnun’ is a huge success with the musicians, the entire cast and
choir rising to the challenge.
The final images are around ‘the dhuni fire’ – a ritual of dedication
and release and an expression of love for God. Luke as “Majnun”

Director’s Statement
In the West, mainstream religion appears to have failed generations of
youth caught up in the pervasive snare of consumerism, cynicism and debased
values. In their attempts to find real meaning in life people of all ages, beliefs and
backgrounds have sought answers in the East, from the many gurus and masters
that have always been a part of the spiritual fabric of India. From out of the endless
babble of tongues offering spiritual salvation and new gods, one clear voice rises,
paradoxically from the Silent Master Meher Baba, who imparts to us a simple and
contemporary explanation of humanity’s relationship with God.
But in a world apparently disintegrating into further violence and chaos,
it’s not difficult to understand why people so often succumb to cynicism
and self-indulgence, and turn a deaf ear to a very sweet voice.
However, hope is an antidote, and in this documentary hope and optimism are
among the discoveries our young man Luke makes, as he journeys to Meherabad
in India, listens to wise elders and clear-eyed young men and women, and makes a
success of his role in the play to celebrate
Meher Baba’s Birthday.

Who is Meher Baba?

Avatar Meher Baba was known as the Silent Master who devoted His life, not to
teaching, but to awakening humanity to His unifying message of Truth and Love
given by the great messengers of the past. His belief that all had been said was
given emphasis by his observing silence for 44 years, from 1925 until his death in
January 1969.
Born in Pune, India in 1894, of Zoroastrian descent, Baba’s mission as Avatar, the
Hindu word for Godman, began in 1921 and developed as a practical example of his
principle message of love. He worked with disciples in India, Europe, America as well
as the poor of India, through free schools, dispensaries and shelters.
Meher Baba attracted a dedicated worldwide following from all religious traditions.
He said, “I intend to bring together all the religions like beads on one string,
revitalising them for individual and collective needs.” Meher Baba’s followers are
simply known as ‘Baba lovers’, following no rites, rituals, ceremonies or specific
religious duties. Meher Baba

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The Storyline Baba’s Birthday
a journey of the heart
After an introduction to Meher Baba with stills and glimpses of India, our young Australian
Luke arrives at Meherabad to be greeted by his friends. Storyline page 1

Luke takes the path up to Baba’s tomb where he pays his respects to the Master and
archival footage gives the background to Baba’s declaration in the 1950’s
that He was the Avatar. God in human form.
The cast gathers at the Meherabad Theatre for their first rehearsal, where the director Alan
Wagner and the writer Heather Nadel outline the play and the work ahead. Luke is playing
the young Arab prince Majnun in the classic Arabian story of ‘Leila and Majnun’.

After rehearsal and costume fittings, the cast take time out for a little volleyball and lunch
in the Pilgrim Centre dining room.
Luke drives to Pune where he visits Baba’s early home and meets Jehangir who unfolds the
story of Baba’s early realization and shows Luke Baba’s room. Luke then heads into town to
pay his respects at the tomb of one of Meher Baba’s five Perfect Masters, Hazrat Babajan.

Back at the house he joins Baba’s twin nephews Rustom and Sohrab as they laugh
about Baba’s sense of humour.
After rehearsals a cast member Forest talks about his relationship with Baba,
and onstage, in a scene from the final production, the animals enter and begin
the story. A young Baba lover Shirin talks about her love for Baba.
Then the pilgrims ride through Ahmednagar in the blue bus out to Meherazad,
Meher Baba’s home compound since the 1940’s. Luke’s narration gives us the
background to Meherazad.
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We meet the Mandali, several of Meher Baba’s men and women companions who lived Baba’s Birthday
and worked with the Master. To Luke’s great delight, one of the Mandali, Meherwan, walks a journey of the heart
Luke up Seclusion Hill, explaining the significance of this very special place where Meher
Baba did a great deal of His inner spiritual work. At the top of the hill Luke stands deep in Storyline page 2
thought and lost in the magic of the moment.

On Luke’s return, Meheru invites him to spend a moment in Baba’s bedroom where she
describes His last days. Rehearsals continue and young Cory talks about trying to grasp
who Baba is.
Debbie Nordeen drills the choir and talks about expressing in the world, truth, beauty,
purity and love. Peter talks to Alan about the importance Baba placed on the arts, and the
idea of forgetfulness, when an artist is so engrossed in the act of creation, that they forget
themselves.
Luke in the play with the animals, as he expresses his disgust for mankind and sings a song
of love for Leila.
Laurie Blum paints her intricate masterpieces for the backcloths for the play and a
bemused Lynne mentions her surprise at ending up in this little village in India.

Luke describes the new Meher Pilgrim Retreat being built on the plain above Baba’s Tomb
and Dot Lesnick talks about putting together the incredible tile wall.
Back at rehearsal Alan relates his amazement
at the birth of baby camels and donkeys and
their perfect velvet-like hooves, and Raph
speaks about Baba’s ability to help him keep
believing in love.
In his office in Ahmednagar Luke and Monica
talk to Bhau Kalchuri, the Chairman of the
Avatar Meher Baba Trust, about the turmoil
in the world and why baba appeared in the
20th century. Luke Sumner and Bhau Kalchuri page 4
Dress rehearsal is chaotic as costumes are tried on and the makeup experiments begin. Baba’s Birthday
Everyone lends a hand. The day of Baba’s birthday dawns and Luke joins the people from a journey of the heart
all round the world at Baba’s Tomb, to celebrate the Master’s coming.
Storyline page 3

The big night and the choir sings ‘Ocean of Love’ over highlights of the play ‘Majnun and
Leila’, bringing the story to its conclusion and ending in great applause and a final ‘Happy
Birthday!’ to Baba.

The cast spills out onto the collonade for the beginnings of the after show party. The two
father’s light-heartedly tussle over ownership of their their son!

The final scene takes place around the dhuni fire as people gather to toss a small stick into
the flames, symbolising the casting off of some failing or foible. Through the light of the
fire we find the faces of this diversity of pilgrims, silently watching the flames, deep in their
own thoughts. Luke is among them and we follow him to the fire where he casts in his stick
and kneels before the flames.

page 5
Peter Sumner Baba’s Birthday
a journey of the heart
Writer / Director
Born in Sydney and educated in the UK, in the sixties Peter was contracted to the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation and spent a five year apprenticeship in television and
film making, beginning as a writer and program assistant and
working his way to directing multicam productions in the studios at Gore Hill.
Peter also worked on projects with Isaacson Productions and wrote 26 half hour
documentaries which were screened by ABCTV. Peter wrote and directed a documentary
for the ABC shot in Sweden, and also wrote and directed a number
of short films screened by ABCTV.
In the eighties Peter wrote and directed MOUNTAIN MAN
for Chateau Productions, about a brumby hunter’s life on
the Victorian High Plains. Bought and screened by
Network Ten and later by Discovery Channel and
German and British TV, the critics called it “a stunner”
and “as hypnotic as watching the campfire itself”.
Also for Chateau Productions Peter wrote and directed
CRADLE OF MANKIND, shot in Africa and contrasting
Dr Richard Leakey’s theories about ancient hominids
with the contemporary life of the tribes around Lake
Turkana in Kenya. Screened to good reviews by
Network Ten, National Geographic, German and British TV. Peter Sumner writing on set in India
Under contract to Beyond Productions Peter worked as a producer on ENTERTAINMENT
BEYOND 2000 and on setting up projects on forensic science,
world water resources and the human brain. He was later commissioned by
Beyond to adapt Trish Sheppard’s novel CHILDREN OF BLINDNESS into a screenplay.
Peter has continued to write and direct short films, the latest being CIRQUE DU PSYCHE
which was enthusiastically received at the Red Carpet Short Film Festival.
He also has two screenplays currently out in the market, SPIDER DANCE and
BIG TIN GODS, and went to in India in January and February 2006 where he directed
BABA’S BIRTHDAY – a TV documentary on Meher Baba.
Peter has also appeared as an actor in productions such as Star Wars,
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, The Dismissal and with Bell Shakespeare...
as well as many theatre, film and TV acting credits. Peter was a tutor at AADA,
AFTRS, NIDA, Bathurst University, published the book AUSTRALIAN THEATRE POSTERS and
was consultant to the Sydney Opera House Trust on the feasibility
of a Performing Arts Museum in Sydney.

Tragically, Peter Sumner, born 29 January 1942, passed away

on 22 November 2016 due to a long illness. He is survived by his
son, Luke Sumner and wife, Lynda Stoner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sumner
 Baba’s Birthday
Michael Ney a journey of the heart

Producer
Producer // Director
Director of
of Photography
Photography

Michael is a multi-talented film industry professional who gives immense energy, passion and focus to any
project he is involved in. He has extensive experience producing creative projects including videos, web
design, multimedia and live theatre events. Michael’s early career consisted of theatre lighting design,
photojournalism and audio-visual production. and is also a skilled camera person, production manager and
Final Cut Pro video editor.
After studying television production and running his own commercial photography studio for six years,
Michael opened a multimedia company called Virtual Realm Xchange, working with high profile clients
such as The City of Sydney Council and The Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Westpac Bank. Video
production tasks included directing, scripting, camera and editing. Other creative director activities
included digital design, animation, writing and directing voice-overs and special effects.
Michael produced and directed two 20 minute docu-dramas for the Faculty of Medicine at The University
of Sydney. He was also responsible for the first interactive CD-ROM for Sydney University, promoting all
their undergraduate courses and facilities... groundbreaking for its early use of QTVR “virtual reality” in an
interactive tour.
Michael rebranded his company in 2001 to Sensory Image to focus on film and TV projects, and in 2002
he directed Youth Matters, an observational documentary about at-risk kids going through a vocational
program at a 5 star hotel in Sydney.
In 2003, he shot The Making of ‘Dark Love Story’, a behind-the-scenes documentary for producer Greg
Read and director Jon Hewitt, starring Belinda McClory and Aaron Pederson. Other projects eventuated
such as the SBS-TV production of East West 101, and the feature film Alex & Eve directed by multi award
winner Peter Andrikidis.
Michael also worked closely with director Vincent Ward (What Dreams May Come, The Navigator,
Map of the Human Heart) to create an animated proof-of-concept trailer for his film River Queen. This
accompanied the script for pitches in London, New York and Hollywood, and helped Vincent to successfully
secure production funding.
In 2004, Michael directed a corporate video for Futurebank, and has directed numerous short films and
other corporate and promotional or educational video productions.
Finally, Baba’s Birthday, produced by Michael (with writer/director Peter Sumner), was shot in India
over 2 months, edited in Australia over several months and has original music for orchestra composed by
Christopher Gordon.
Michael is a founding member of OZDOX – The Australian Documentary Forum, which has held monthly
events since July 2003 (www.ozdox.org) and he produced a DVD archive of 30 of these programs. He also
initiated the video archive of Popcorn Taxi, Sydney filmmaker Q&A events, and has shot nearly all of these
events since 1999 with some footage included on the DVD releases for various films and online podcasts.
In 2006, accompanied by writer Stefanie Lasthaus, Michael filmed a documentary research project over 2
months in Germany and Switzerland for a “From Chaos To Calm – Hermann Hesse – a writer’s journey”.
In 2011, Michael shot and produced a short documentary following a spiritually based theatre troupe called
the Peace Angels. The long rehearsal period climaxed in a spectacular performance in Hyde Park, Sydney.
Michael rebranded again as Eagle Spirit Media in 2014 and continued with various corporate videos.
Relocating from Sydney, NSW to Maleny, QLD Michael spent a year documenting the world’s first
permaculture ecovillage – Crystal Waters. https://bit.ly/cwdoco01

Arising out of that project came the new online community and magazine – Eco Village Voice. More info at:
https://ecovillagevoice.com
Christopher Gordon Baba’s Birthday
a journey of the heart
Music Composer
Composer Christopher Gordon’s most recent projects include:
* the score for the TNT mini-series of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot
* a piece commissioned by the Sydney Children’s Choir to mark
their fifteenth anniversary and;
* a Bass Trombone Concerta commissioned by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
to receive its premiere performance at the Sydney Opera House in October 2004.
Gordon’s recent film scores include:
* Master & Commander: The Far Side Of The World
– winner of a Top Box Office Award at 2004 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards,
which he co-composed with fellow recipients Iva Davies and Richard Tognetti;
* When Good Ghouls Go Bad
– winner of the 2001 Australian Screen Music Award for
“Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie”;
* Sydney: A Story of a City (1999)
– an IMAX spectacular from leading Australian director Bruce Beresford.
His score for On the Beach received wide international acclaim; often described
as the best soundtrack of 2000, it won four Australian Screen Music Awards.
His highly praised score for Moby Dick (1998) received three ASM awards while
his music for Sanctuary (1995) was nominated in the Australian Film Institute Awards and
the ASM Awards.
In the concert hall Peace On Earth for Gondwana Voices and the Sydney Sypmphony
Orchestra was a popular success with Christmas audiences in 2001.
He composed the choral work a Song of Hope, incidental music for the official celebration
of the Centenary of the Federation of Australia and wrote and arranged the music for
the opening ceremony of the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
Other recent works include Spin Globe, Spin commissioned by the Sydney Children’s Choir
and Loose Canon commissioned by the Tucana Flute Quartet.

Christopher Gordon conducting the orchestra for “Baba’s Birthday”

at Trackdown Studios, Sydney, Australia.

Producer’s Note
The rich visuals of India, a colourful musical play and the variety of characters make this
documentary a delight to watch. The content, based on Meher Baba, is intriguing and
even perplexing to some... “God in human form - that’s an amazing concept” says one
of the interviewees. In a show of support, long time Baba lover, Pete Townshend gave
permission to use any of his music for the project and we chose some classics for the trailer.
However, when composer Christopher Gordon agreed to write an original score we found
the two styles of music so divergent that we had to pick just one. The orchestral recording
was an event in itself and was satisfying to see the emotional music integrate with the
documentary story.