By Kate Neligan
As readers of the Spiritual Media Blog, you already know about the power of conscious cinema. You are already a fan and a champion of this important work on the Planet. So it is with great enthusiasm that I get to share with you about the latest advancement in this genre. This weekend the world’s premiere film festival for conscious cinema launches in the magical, healing vortexes of Sedona, AZ.
The Illuminate Film Festival is a four day event at three venues and covers 22 amazing films.
Some of the highlighted films are:
The world premiere of ON MEDITATION, a six-part series of shorts with celebrity meditators like environmentalist Peter Matthiessen, Congressman Tim Ryan, and filmmaker David Lynch.
Deepak Chopra’s new film, DEATH MAKES LIFE POSSIBLE ,covers one of life’s most taboo topics.
AWAKE: THE LIFE OF YOGANANDA an unconventional biography of the famous mystic who introduced yoga and meditation to the West.
SONG OF THE NEW EARTH directed by Ward Serrill and produced by Betsy Chasse from WHAT THE BLEEP about the life and work of country singer turned shaman of sound Tom Kenyon.
There are also encores and retrospectives of films like MONK WITH A CAMERA, MAY I BE FRANK, THE ROCKET, COEXIST COMEDY TOUR, SPECIESISM and FINDING HILLYWOOD.
This Festival is doing something extremely unique called a “Reel Healing Series” which is a “view and do” experience. Films are paired with an experience to extend the learning and inherent theme in each for a deeper integration. For instance ON MEDITATION involved a meditation with the author Sarah McLean who teaches mindfulness practices here in Sedona. MILE, MILE AND HALF is paired with a hike on the Sedona trails.
There is also a healing village with the best local practitioners coming together to offer massage, energy work, and nutrition expertise and there is a conscious marketplace with DVDs and books from the speakers and filmmakers as well.
My favorite part is the Conscious Filmmaker Convergence which is a half day of panels by industry leaders and film experts who will help teach and provide coaching on how to successfully produce, market and distribute conscious films. I will be on the “Get Your Conscious Film Seen: Three Options for Distribution” panel helping my favorite people on the planet, conscious filmmakers, learn the options for distribution based on my expertise from both Lionsgate and my start-up Synergy TV which distributes only mindful media and inspiring stories.
I dreamed of this day but I never knew how it would manifest or when it would come. I just trusted that if I cared so deeply about this genre of entertainment, others did as well and that one day, the time would come and we would gather. Sometimes I have “pinch me moments” of how lucky I am to be playing in this sandbox now and to have left my big studio job where my soul was shriveling.
In fact, hearing the story of the film festival Founder, Danette Wolpert at opening night made me light up. She feels like a long-lost sister on a similar path to me. She was unsure of her place here on Earth and asked her wise Self, what can I do?
I know many of you would love to be here so if you can still make it, join us, we would love to meet you. If you can’t get here now, please track this event so you can attend next year and also reach out to be a part of it as a sponsor, speaker or to show your own film. And most importantly, please follow these films. For this genre of film to grow and for our humanity to have stories that mirror who we truly are, we need a mass following. Together, we can great the tipping point of consciousness so that our society becomes more solution-focused, more connected to a higher power, and more joyful and loving to ourselves and each other.
Everything starts with choice so I implore you to choose to be a part of the Illuminate Film Festival in some capacity. So ask yourself – what can I do? Take time to listen to that answer. Your support of this “industry” is of paramount importance and I myself am grateful to play my part in promoting and distributing uplifting, empowering, inspiring, spiritual, and positive stories and messages. Synergy means the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, so together we make a difference by supporting media that opens minds and hearts.
Entertain, Enlighten, Inspire,
Kate Neligan – Founder/CEO of Synergy TV Network