Today, Monday July 26, 2010 marks the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. There are 54 Million disabled people in the country. Jane Seymour’s new PSA is doing its part to celebrate and continue to raise the profile of the disabled:
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In Jane’s PSA, she also talks about the film Unbeaten, an inspirational documentary that chronicles the exploits of 31 paraplegics for six days, as they make their way in wheelchairs and hand cycles in what is known as the toughest road race in the world, “Sadler’s Alaska Challenge.” Unbeaten, produced by Vanilla Fire Productions and Polaris Global Media, is now qualified for Oscar consideration for 2011.

The producers of Unbeaten have worked hard to raise awareness for the disabled. For example, Unbeaten Producer Tamara Henry interviewed James Cameron at the Global Green Pre-Oscar Party about why he has disabled marine veteran “Jake Sulley” in his film Avatar:

Additionally, Unbeaten filmmakers met in May 2010 with the Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy in DC about the upcoming 20th Anniversary while showing the film Unbeaten at WRMC and handing out Avatar DVDs donated by Jon Landau:

This three year odyssey to finish Unbeaten came with the help of some of the highest profile individuals in the world including Dan Aykroyd, Clint Black, JP Dejoria, Steve Forbes, Eli Broad, T. Boone Pickens, Cher, Billy-Jean King, Tony Hawk, Paula and Sumner Redstone, Larry Hagman, Carole Bayer Sager, Mark Burnett, Steve Jobs, Norman Lear, Lee Roy Mitchell, Jane Seymour, Dr. Robert R. Saito and Pamela Anderson. (http://www.polarisglobal.com/giving_back). Of the 1,112 billionaries on the planet, eight of them have contributed to the independent films mission by Barber.

For more information about Unbeaten you can visit www.UnbeatenTheMovie.com

Spiritual Warriors takes a courageous look at all aspects of our Spirit by showing the internal and external struggles of a troubled actor, Finn (Jsu Garcia) trying to make it in Hollywood. Throughout the movie Finn meets with an elderly man, Roger (Robert Easton), who helps Finn learn how to awaken to the insights of his soul.

From a cinematography perspective, this is no easy task. But, the filmmakers boldly use stunning visuals and exquisite special effects to demonstrate such ideas as the transcendence of the soul, past lives, destiny, light versus darkness, and spiritual awakening. Using words to accurately describe these concepts is difficult enough. However, the movie successfully uses remarkable images to capture the essence behind these deeper realities. Additionally, since the film primarily takes place in Los Angeles, there is enough subtle humor and contemporary examples of everyday life to provide a fun, exciting and relatable context to examine some of life’s most important questions.

The cinematography provokes the viewer to ask their own questions as opposed to the dialogue simply giving answers. For example, the movie asks what role darkness and evil play in our own spiritual quest. What impact do our past lives have on our current relationships and circumstances? How much of our destiny is predetermined?

My favorite message from the movie is that when we begin to view life from the perspective of our soul, our life and eventually our destiny take on a much more fulfilling meaning. This is echoed in the beginning scene, when the following quote is flashed on the screen,

“Spiritual Warriors are people who confidently make choices about where to focus their internal attention, even when the external realities of their everyday lives are chaotic, troublesome or just plain annoying.”

You can purchase Spiritual Warriors on Amazon by Clicking Here.

Cover Girl Culture explores how the worlds of fashion, modeling, advertising and celebrity impact our teens and young women. Who sets today’s standards for beauty and how are these standards affecting individuals and society? Who is responsible? Are there ways this can be changed? If so, who can/will change it?

Through intimate interviews with top agents, designers, models, fashion editors from major NY magazines and many more, Cover Girl Culture offers SOLUTIONS to these difficult issues.

Aliya Appelbaum, a 15 year-old offered her thoughts about the film when she said,

“Cover Girl Culture exemplified my feelings and fears about the media, and how the outside culture of television and advertisement affects my life. The movie made me realize how much i allow our current day culture to influence my life, making me want to “step outside the box.” Cover Girl Culture was a moving movie and I think every teenager should experience a movie pertaining to this topic, to show how the media alters our perception of beauty, and that everyone is special in their “own way.”"

For more information on the film, you can visit http://www.covergirlculture.com/

The 2006 murder of friend and fellow media-activist Brad Will in protest-torn Oaxaca, Mexico inspired Velcrow Ripper to make Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action, a documentary that seeks to fuse spirituality and activism. Ripper’s journey takes him around the world to Montgomery, Alabama; Rodden Island, South Africa; Andrah, Indian; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and South Central Los Angeles, where a months-long protest against the razing of a vital community garden provides a highly dramatic spine for the wide-ranging film.

Along the way, Ripper meets with a number of icons including actor turned activist Daryl Hannah, Nobel prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Pulitzer Prize Winning Author Alice Walker, Buddhist peace activist Thich Nhat Hahn, famed tree sitter Julia Butterfly Hill and Congressman John Lewis. Ripper discovers thousands of individuals and organizations connected by a shared commitment to compassionate, positive action. For more information you can watch the trailer above or purchase Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action on Amazon by Clicking Here

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The Book of Eli is one of the few movies where violence plays a necessary part because Eli’s reaction to the violence he faces reveals his courage, conviction and faith. Eli is never the aggressor, but at times he must use physical force to defend himself and protect his companion from thugs who are trying to kill them. His inner calling has guided him to navigate and overcome a world filled with violence. Now, he must find the strength to meet this challenge head on.

I was skeptical going into this movie because I thought it was just going to be some science-fiction, action-film about an apocalyptic world. However, I am glad I saw The Book of Eli. One message in the movie that really resonated with me is the willingness to trust and fight for your inner callings simply for the sake of serving some higher purpose. Eli is driven by his inner voice to carry a Sacred book to the West. He does not know exactly why he is being guided to do this, but he does it because deep down he knows it’s the right thing to do.

Additionally, Eli continues to trust even though he has not reached his destination after a long and arduous journey. In one scene, a companion he is with asks him how long he has been traveling. Eli tells her that it has been 30 years and she replies, “Do you think you might be lost?” But, Eli continues to trust that he is not lost and that he will be protected if he carries out his calling to bring the book to the West. This scene inspires us to continue to trust that we will be protected if we follow our callings — even though it may appear that we are lost.

The Book of Eli is now available on DVD on Amazon if you Click Here

My good friend, Cynthia Litman, suggested I watch The Shadow Effect because the film tries to offer an answer to the universal question of why good people do bad things. In this eye-opening movie, Debbie Ford and leading luminaries reveal why suppressed emotions and unresolved internal conflicts lead to behavior that continually unseats politicians, destroys celebrity careers, destabilizes the economy and affects lives of millions each year.

This emotionally-gripping, visually-stunning documentary exposes the opposing forces of both light and dark that compete for attention within every human being and presents the hidden power of the “Shadow” alongside some of today’s most provocative thinkers and beloved teachers including Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Mark Victor Hansen and James Van Praagh.

“The Shadow is the part of our self that we disown or dislike and is made up of the thoughts, emotions and impulses we often find too painful, embarrassing or distasteful to accept so we deny or repress them,” states Ford. She adds, “I created this film to help people break free of the bonds of the past and the wounded ego that hides all that we believe is unacceptable about ourselves. When we learn to love and own all of who we are we step into the greatness of who we may become.”

The Shadow Effect stands out because it shows inspiring real life individuals who share true stories about how they transcended child abuse, racism, the Holocaust, war, addiction and wounded upbringings. In the film, we meet those who have learned to face their terror, heal their wounds, and embrace their higher heroic selves to overcome the shadow effect.

The Shadow Effect DVD is available online if you Click Here

Tim Curry is a noble king whose life or death depends on delivering a hanging corpse to a mysterious sorcerer. Lance Henriksen is a necromancer who gives him the strange assignment and may or may not be trustworthy. Mark Hamill is just your regular dead body come to life with a cutting with and a Scheherazade – like skill for storytelling and riddles.

In the between this imaginative narrative are interviews with some of the world’s leading mythologists, psychologists and spiritual leaders including Deepak Chopra, Michael Beckwith and Honora Foah. It also features the paintings of Jerry Wennstrom

In 2006, filmmakers Steve and Whitney Boe attended the MYTHIC JOURNEYS conference and performance festival in Atlanta and found their lives transformed when confronted with the question:

“Will you know who you are when you die or will death have to tell you?”

MYTHIC JOURNEYS, the movie, is their celebration of that extraordinary experience, an exploration of what myth and story can teach us about our own lives and how mythology can be used to spark creativity and bridge communities, generations and cultures.

For more information on how you can purchase the film please click here.

The beauty of this film is that we see how our daily routines can become fulfilling, meaningful and joyful in their own right simply because they give us an opportunity to share our self with others and to experience the Divine in the middle of the ordinary. Or as Michael Beckwith says at the beginning of the movie,

“We’re not trying to fit mediation into our busy life, with our ‘to-do’ list, with all the things that need to be done. No. Little by little, we make a discovery that our life begins to revolve around our meditation.”

As we walk with Michael throughout his day and listen in on his conversations with friends, family and associates, we hear light-hearted jokes, profound insights and genuine solutions to the challenges of our time. Michael also talks about how a lucid dream inspired him to unconditionally say Yes to the Divine, after he had previously outwitted It’s attempts. That moment Michael said Yes, his life was forever changed.

This is a powerful message for all of us. Everyday, no matter how glamorous, mundane, or difficult our circumstances might be, we have the free choice to say Yes to the Divine. And, when we say Yes to It, we can awaken to our life purpose and a field of possibility that is often far greater than anything we can imagine for ourself.

Other bonus features on the DVD include interviews with USC head football coach, Pete Carroll, producer of Crash, Mark Harris, international speaker Lisa Nichols, the premiere performance of “You Can Dream’ by APL.DE.AP of Black Eyed Peas, 8 performances by Rickie Byars Beckwith and the Agape International Choir, supplemental interviews about love, forgiveness, living on purpose and meditation, and a talk with Michael Beckwith and the filmmaker Mikki Willis on the genesis of Spiritual Liberation.

After taking this intimate look at Rev. Michael Beckwith’s daily life, you will see firsthand why his teachings have empowered thousands of spiritual seekers for more than two decades and also gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for your own life purpose.

Spiritual Liberation DVD and the book it is based on Spiritual Liberation: Fulfilling Your Soul’s Potential is available for purchase on Amazon by Clicking Here

The film features inmates who are serving life sentences without parole at the Donaldson Correctional Facility. They are given the option of participating in an emotionally and physically demanding course of silent meditation lasting 10 days. The participants are some of the state’s most dangerous criminals battling life-long demons. Most of them are highly skeptical of the meditation retreat. Additionally, many of guards question why the controversial retreat should be allowed for such violent offenders in the first place.

Scott Harshbarger, former Attorney General of Massachusetts, gave his thoughts about the movie when he said, “Through the film we realize that inmates can accept responsiblity for serious crimes, and attempt to engage in personal change even though it will not enable them to be released.”

You can purchase the book it is based on Amazon by Clicking Here.