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Blog by Don Kennedy

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FIERCE LIGHT: WHEN SPIRIT MEETS ACTION

FIERCE LIGHT: WHEN SPIRIT MEETS ACTION explores inner motivations that attempt to induce change peacefully. It argues that it is a growing global phenomenon and rather grandiosely asserts that it was responsible for Barack Obama getting elected. Acclaimed Canadian documentarian Velcrow Ripper was originally inspired by the death of a fellow film maker covering the repression of Mexican peace marches and went off on a tangent from there. Using as a constant reference an urban garden in Las Angeles that was a municipal olive branch granted following the Rodney King riot, worldwide non violent protests are explored from Martin Luther King to South Africa’s Desmond Tutu. The LA epicentre is relevant as it was turned into a vibrant market garden by under privileged east LA-ers only to have the city sell it to land developers. This fostered passionate protests that caught the attention of Hollywood and managed to cobble together some big money to reverse the process. Although you question the symbiotic public relations motivations behind spotlight seeking movie stars, the courageous commitment of non celebrities is consistent whether it is truly for civil rights or a misguided cause.

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