Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the ‘Heartful Living, Gentle Dying’ film series at the Mary Fisher Theatre — every Thursday — May 8-29.
Join us for this thought-provoking journey and discover what it means to be alive and connected to humanity, and how we might die with grace and dignity on our own terms. This profound glimpse into life and death explores how we view our purpose, our relationships, and the possibilities inherent in the gentle dying process.
“The Heart Revolution” is the first film in a four-week “Heartful Living, Gentle Dying” film series on Thursday, May 8 at 4:00 p.m.
The screening will be followed by a zoom Q&A discussion with director Benedikt Just.
This intriguing documentary explores the role of the heart in every chapter of life, from pregnancy to birth, going to school and learning to think, falling in love, becoming parents, to growing old and dying. If you think your heart is solely a pump, you’re in for a big surprise.
Interweaving the stories and findings of scientists, a best-selling author, a renowned Sufi teacher, medical doctors, and a nurse turned prenatal psychologist, “The Heart Revolution” reshapes how we see ourselves and how to solve global health and societal problems.
What if our (flowering) heart is the key to unlocking our most beautiful, powerful, blooming selves?
The “Heartful Living, Gentle Dying” film series is co-sponsored by Accord Hospice and Palliative Care and Arizona Elder Care & Senior Support.
“The Heart Revolution” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Thursday, May 8 at 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 general admission, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.
REMAINING FILMS IN THE SERIES:
Thursday, May 15: Moon Manor – This dramedy explores medically assisted dying in a quirky, yet touching story about Jimmy, who plans a fabulous FUNeral for himself, followed by a curated death, proving that the art of living plays a meaningful role in the art of dying.
Thursday, May 22: The Room Next Door – Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore star in this moving film about a woman who engages her friend to help her plan death on her own terms. A story of acceptance and friendship in a world that wishes to control our last moments.
Thursday, May 29: Tuesday – A mother (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) struggles to accept her daughter’s terminal diagnosis and the reality of her death. Together they confront death as it arrives in the form of an astonishing and insightful talking bird.
From Filmmaker Benedikt Just:
At age 13, I became kind of obsessed with finding the secret of life and started reading books on quantum physics to formulate a theory of everything. Realizing that no amount of knowledge would help me grasp the mystery of life, I fell into a dark night of the soul that nearly cost me my life several times. As I explored diverse spiritual traditions, my path took me beyond the well-known Eastern and Western fulfillment paradigms. The rest of my life is dedicated to introducing the Age of Enheartenment based on a fundamental redefinition of emotions and the human heart.