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    Home » 22 Films in Inaugural Illuminate Film Festival Will Enlighten, Entertain
    Arts and Entertainment

    22 Films in Inaugural Illuminate Film Festival Will Enlighten, Entertain

    May 8, 2014No Comments7 Mins Read
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    logo_illuminatefilmfestival1st Illuminate Film Festival’s 22-Film Slate Offers a Catalyst for Personal Evolution, Enlightenment, Entertainment

    Sedona AZ (May 8, 2014) – The 22 films selected for the inaugural Illuminate Film Festival offer viewers a diversity of topics and subjects that range from themes of spirituality, visual art and faith to near-death and afterlife experiences, and from emotional clearing, meditation and self-discovery to yoga, sustainable living and even conscious eating.  The Festival runs from May 29 to June 1 at venues throughout Sedona.

     “We are appealing to those who embrace film as a catalyst for their own evolution and enlightenment as well as to those who simply seek positive and inspiring entertainment,” said Illuminate Founder and Executive Director Danette Wolpert.  “The messaging in conscious cinema may be overt or understated, but all conscious films hold human beings as sacred rather than expendable and encourage filmgoers to ponder existence more deeply than their everyday routines.”

     Illuminate film selection committee members reviewed more than 450 films during a seven-month screening process that included recently premiered titles and films searching for their festival debut.

     “The depth and breadth of the reviewed films was remarkable, not just in the sheer number but in the films’ approach, techniques, messaging and delivery,” Wolpert said.  “The conscious cinema niche is on the verge of exploding, and the response we’ve gotten certainly reflects that.”

     The Illuminate Film Festival, the nation’s first mind-body-spirit festival, will present narrative features, documentaries and shorts complemented by Q-and-A sessions with filmmakers and immersive post-film events called Reel Healing, A View and Do Experience designed to bring the film’s lessons and messages to life.

     Films selected are:

    • Death Makes Life Possible (world premiere), a beautiful and ground-breaking journey through one of life’s most taboo topics:  death.  Immediately after the film, Deepak Chopra, MD and Marilyn Schultz, PhD, will discuss the film and the proposition that death could be the best thing in life.
    • 24 Peaces (work-in-progress world premiere), a film of California-based artist GENE’s journey to meet 24 of the world’s greatest living peacemakers and his ability to capture them on canvas.  Among those expected to attend the premiere in a private Sedona home are peacemakers and artists.
    • On Meditation (world premiere), a fascinating portrait series offering a rare glimpse into how meditation has transformed the personal and professional lives of notable figures including director David Lynch, actor Giancarlo Esposito (Do the Right Thing, The Usual Suspects) and Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan.
    • Mile….Mile & Half (Sedona premiere), a humorous, visually masterful film about five friends hiking California’s historic 211-mile John Muir trail after one of the biggest winter snowfalls in history.  The film will be followed by a mile…mile & a half hike with musicians, artists, and healers.
    • When My Sorrow Died: The Legend of Armen Ra & the Theremin (Arizona premiere), the story of Persian-American Theremin virtuoso Armen Ra and his journey through his earliest years in Iran, to his wild time modeling and tearing up the New York drag scene to his recovery from alcohol addiction and emergence as a world-renowned master of the Theremin, the only instrument played without actually touching it.  Ra will perform after the film.
    • Finding Hillywood (Arizona premiere), a unique and endearing film about pioneers who bring local films to rural communities in Rwanda to find peace in a turbulent land.  Preceded by the documentary short, No Strangers.
    • Lulu in the Nude (Southwest premiere), about Lulu who, after a horrible job interview, leaves her husband and three children behind and finds herself through encounters with an ex-con, an old woman and an unhappy waitress.  Preceded by the narrative short, Matter of Magic.
    • Speciesism (Sedona premiere), called paradigm-busting by the Huffington Post, provides a fresh, compelling argument on the controversial idea of equality of the species.  Preceded by the documentary short, Engineering Our Own Divinity – Shot of Awe.
    • Coexist Comedy Tour, a hilarious concert comedy film that demonstrates how religious coexistence goes awry when a Christian comic leaves the show and the producers must search for a replacement.  Preceded by the narrative short, Stalled.
    • Monk With a Camera , the Journey of Nicky Vreeland, based on a request from the Dalai Lama that takes the grandson of fashion icon and Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreenland behind the curtain of Tibetan Buddhism.  Preceded by the documentary short, A Marvelous Power: Honoring You.
    • The Rocket, Australia’s submission for the 2013 Academy Award and Best Narrative Feature at Tribeca, this triumphant tale about challenging one’s place in the family order follows 10-year-old surviving twin Ahlo at The Rocket Festival, a riotous and dangerous annual competition where huge bamboo rockets are set off to provoke the rain gods.  Preceded by the narrative short, The Recyclist.
    • May I Be Frank, a true story of the personal transformation of Frank Ferrante, a 54-year-old, 290-pound Sicilian American from Brooklyn with Hepatitis C.  On the lookout for a quick fix, he hands his life over to the 20-something owners of a raw-vegan San Francisco restaurant who commit him to changing his ways over 42 days.  Ferrante will host a post-film Q-&-A.  Preceded by the narrative short, Alchemy.

     Among the films selected for Reel Healing are:

    • AWAKE: The Life of Yogananda (Southwest premiere), an unconventional biography of the legendary East Indian mystic who introduced yoga and meditation to the West in the 1920s.  Immediately following the film, Mas Vidal, founder and director of the Dancing Shiva Center in Los Angeles, will lead a kirtan of bhajans (devotional songs).  Q&A with film directors and producer will follow.
    • Dance of Liberation (world premiere), the visually stunning, inspirational journey of Parashakti, a lost and broken young woman transformed into a powerful soul healer, who bravely tries to mend her deepest childhood wound along the way.  Followed by a Dance of Liberation workshop with a live DJ and Q&A with Parashakti.
    • E-Motion (US premiere), the result of Australian producer Justin Lyon’s efforts to track down the world’s leading alternative health and emotional healing experts to find cures for the incurable after the death of his dear friend, Steve Irwin.  Following the film, Eva Maurice and emotional clearing practitioners offer samplings of the emotional healing philosophy.
    • Song of the New Earth (Southwest premiere), a film about the extraordinary life and work of country singer-turned brain scientist and shaman of sound, Tom Kenyon, as he journeys from his Orcas Island homeland to Broadway, giant caves in the south of France, Venice and Tibet.  Following the film, multi-instrumentalist Three Trees will lead a multi-cultural sound healing journey.

     Also scheduled are:

    • The world’s first Conscious Filmmaker Convergence, a half-day film industry program for notable and aspiring mind-body-spirit filmmakers, featuring discussions with Betsy Chasse, Director of What the Bleep Do We Know?; Nicole Guillemet, former Co-Director of the Sundance Film Festival; Anna Darrah, Director of Acquisitions for Spiritual Cinema Circle, Gaiam; and Lisa Leeman, Director of AWAKE: The Life of Yogananda and former President of the International Documentary Association; among others.
    • The Healing Village: offering samplings and services of the region’s best health and wellness practitioners including reiki specialists, energy workers, sound healers, Ayurvedic consultants, and more. Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old system of traditional natural healing with origins in India. 

    Major sponsors of the Illuminate Film Festival are The Lodge at Sedona, Rejuvenation & Performance Institute at Grace Grove, ChocolaTree Organic Oasis, Sedona Elite Properties, Sedona Culture Collaborative, Mary D. Fisher Theater, Peace Place and Gateway Capital Management.

    Illuminate films will be screened at Sedona’s state-of-the-art Mary D Fisher Theater, Sedona Creative Life Center and the Sedona Performing Arts Center.

    Single tickets for regular screenings are $11 through May 15 and $14 after.  Opening and Closing Screening individual tickets are $15 before May 15 and $20 after; Spotlight Screenings, $20 before May 15 and $25 after; Reel Healing Programs, $20 before May 15 and $20 after; Workshops, $15 before May 15 and $20 after.

    All-Access Passes are $350 and a VIP Lodging Package, which includes three nights at The Lodge at Sedona and an All-Access Pass is $1,150 single and $1500 double.

    For more information, the full schedule and to purchase tickets, visit www.illuminatefilmfestival.com.

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    Paid Political Ad Paid For by Samaire for Mayor
    Paid Political Ad for Samaire Armstrong
    Paid Political Announcement by Samaire For Mayor

     THE MOMENT IS UPON US

    Dear Sedona,

    The moment is upon us. The time for a united effort to shift the focus back to our community is now.

    The ability to thrive in our community, our environment, our workforce, and the tourist industry, is entirely possible because we have all the resources needed for success.

    Still, we need a council that isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions, that makes decisions based on data and facts, and through discussion, rather than moving and voting in group unison as they so regularly do.

    This is my home. I have been a part of the Sedona community for 28 years. I witnessed the road debacle, the lack of planning, the city circumventing the local businesses ability to thrive, while making choices to expand the local government and be in direct competition with private industry.

    I am a unique candidate because unlike the incumbents, I don’t believe the government should expand in size, nor in operations, nor would I attempt to micromanage every aspect of our community.

    City government should stay in its lane and allow the competitive market of local private industry to prosper. And it should defend our community from corporate takeover and infiltration of our town.

    I do not agree that we should sign onto International Building Codes and regulations by signing Sedona up to the ICC. It is imperative that we remain a sweet, rural community.

    Where are the arts? Where is this organic thriving element that we allege to be animated by. Where is our culture? Where is our community?

    The discord between the decision making process and the desires of the community have never been more clear. It has been nearly a decade in the making.

    It is time for a new era of energy to take charge. An energy that is reflective in the ability to succeed rather than be trapped in out of date consciousness.

    It has been a great honor meeting with each of you. I hear your concerns over the insane and out of control spending and I echo them. A budget of $105,000,000 in a town of 9700 residents is completely unacceptable. A parking structure (that looks like a shoe box) originally slated to cost 11 million, now projected to cost 18 million, is incomprehensible. Especially, considering there is no intention of charging for parking.

    For those who are concerned that I lack the political experience within our established system- that is precisely what Sedona needs… Not another politician, but instead a person who understands people, who listens to the voices within the community, and who will act in service on their behalf with accountability, for the highest good of Sedona. What I am not, will prove to be an asset as I navigate the entrenched bureaucracy with a fresh perspective. Business as usual, is over.

    Creative solutions require new energy.

    Every decision that is made by our local government, must contemplate Sedona first.

    • Does this decision benefit the residents?
    • Does this decision benefit the local businesses?
    • Does this decision actually help the environment?
    • Will this decision sustain benefit in the future, or will it bring more problems?

    What we have now is a city government that expands to 165 employees for 9700 residents. Palm Desert has 53,000 residents and 119 city employees. Majority of our city department heads are not even in town. I find this problematic.

    Efforts towards championing in and courting new solutions for our medical needs are imperative. We are losing our doctors. We must encourage competition with other facilities rather than be held hostage by NAH, who clearly have their own set of dysfunctions.

    We must remember that so many move to Sedona for its beauty, hiking, and small town charm. Bigger, faster, and more concrete does not, in broad strokes, fit the ethos of Sedona.

    The old world must remain strong here in balance, as that is what visitors want to experience. Too many have noted that Sedona has lost its edge and charm.

    As Mayor I will preserve the rural charm of our community, and push back against the urbanization that is planned for Sedona.

    As mayor I will make it a priority to create opportunities to support our youth.  After school healthy, enriching programs should be created for our kids, and available to the Sedona workforce regardless of residency and regardless of school they belong to.

    As Mayor, I will create an agenda to deliberately embody the consciousness of our collective needs here, allowing private industry to meet the needs of our community rather than bigger government.

    I hope to have your vote on Aug 2nd. I am excited and have the energy to take on this leadership role with new eyes, community perspective, and the thoughtful consciousness that reflects all ages of the human spectrum.

    Thank you deeply for your consideration.

    Sincerely,

    Samaire Armstrong

    Sedona elections
    Armstrong vs. Jablow: The Main Event
    Ready to Rumble

    By Tommy Acosta
    In the Blue Corner stands Scott Jablow and in the Red Corner of the ring stands Samaire Armstrong, ready to rumble to the bitter end in their fight to become the next Sedona mayor. Jablow weighs in with 1,137 primary election votes (36.13%) under his belt, having wielded his advantage as sitting Sedona City Council vice-mayor to his favor. He brings his years of serving in that capacity into the fray and waged a solid fight in his campaign to make it to the run-off. Armstrong, however withstood a blistering smear campaign from the other opposing candidates and their supporters to make it to the final bout with 967 votes under her belt (30.73%), an amazing feat for a political newcomer. Unfortunately, for the other two candidates, Kurt Gehlbach and sitting mayor Sandy Moriarty, neither put up enough of a fight to make it to the championship bout. Read more→
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