Film & Event Schedule - Akasha Metaphysical Film Festival
10:00 am - Theater B
Nai'ii'ees: Apache Sunrise Dance -
55 minute documentary - Directed by Dale Sonnenberg
One of the most enduring
Apache customs is the puberty ceremony for girls. The Na'ii'ees (Sunrise Dance) was nearly lost after the early 1900s, when
the U.S. government banned Native American spiritual practices. The medicine man sings 32 sacred songs and prayers.
When the girl completes the ceremony she is believed to be able to heal the sick for 4 days after. SHOWN WITH The Passenger
(7 min) & The Scientist (19 mins) - See Shorts Collection 1 & 2 below.
5:25pm - Theater B
3 MAGIC WORDS -
54 min, USA,
Directed by Michael Perlin (in attendance)
Gabriella's attempted suicide sends her
to the hospital where she wakes up with no recollection of who she was in the past. She looks deep within her own self to find
the answer to life's biggest question, Who am I? As she searches to find an answer about her place in the universe, the big question
is explored with the featured guests including Neale Donald Walsch, Ishmael Tetteh, Debbie Ford, Gary Renard, Nassim
Haramein, Dr. Zhi Gang Sha and many more.
1:30 Theater B
METAPHYSIA 2012 1 hr 48 min, USA
Directed by Sean. M Fisher (In Attendance)
Awakened one morning from a strange
and mystical dream about the ending of the world, Writer/Director Sean M. Fisher sets out to find others who can help him make sense
of this unusual experience. While he meets many fascinating people who have compelling ideas about the future, it is ultimately the
legends and prophecies of a Native American Wisdom Teacher, and the mysterious destiny they bespeak for the year 2012, that change
his life forever. SHOWN WITH THE PASSENGER - 7 min - See Shorts Collection #2
7:10 pm - Theater B
THE WAY OF THE HEART – 60 min., UK
Directed by Miscah Scorer
The Way of the Heart is the story of a spiritual
master who brought the wisdom of Sufism to the West in 1910. Award winning filmmaker Mischa Scorer weaves a tapestry of music, sound,
and compelling images together with the testimony of many contemporary Western Sufis to evoke the magical atmosphere of a consummate
mystic. SHOWN WITH Challenging Impossibility (28 min) - See Shorts Collection 2
4:45 pm - Theater A
THE 13th DAY – 1 hr 25 Min., UK
Directed by Ian & Dominic Higgins
Based on the memoirs of Lucia Santos, and thousands
of independent eye-witness accounts, The 13th Day dramatizes the true story of three young shepherds who experienced apparitions with
a “Lady from Heaven” between May and October 1917, which culminated into a final prophesized Miracle. Experience the incredible
world of three young children who would inspire thousands. Screened at Cannes - SHOWN WITH Five Minutes Each - See Shorts
Collection 2
5 pm - Theater A
EUROPOLIS – 1 Hr. 32 Min., Romania, Feature Directed by Cornel Gheorghita
During the forty days of mourning, the decease's
soul retraces its life's path, before leaving the Earth. Guided by its Guardian Angel, the soul will pass through Celestial Customs,
to present itself for its Last Judgment. A telegram arrives telling Nae that his long lost uncle Luca has died. The wire asks
Nae and his mother to go France to make arrangements for disposal of the body. SHOWN WITH STEEPLES (3 min) - See Shorts Collection
#1
3:10 pm - Theater B
MASTER WU NANFANG AND SHAOLIN WUGULUN KUNG FU
57 mins, Directed by Pankaja Brooke
This documentary follows Master
Wu Nanfang, the great great grandson of Wugulun - a famous monk from the Shaolin temple - as he shows some traditional kung fu forms
and explains the difference between them and the more acrobatic and performance oriented Shaolin wushu styles. SHOWN WITH The Gnostic
(5 min) - See Shorts Collection #2
4:30 pm- Theater B
THE LOVER AND THE BELOVED
71 min., UK & India
Directed by Andy Lawrence
A film about one man’s journey across northern
India and his search for enlightenment. Rajive McMullen, a history teacher suffering from a debilitating illness, makes the painful
journey into the heart of Tantra. This film offers dramatic insight into Tantric ideas about the life cycle, particularly death.
3 pm - Theater A
THE APOCALYPSE ACCORDING TO DORIS
1 hr 38 min., USA, Feature Film
Directed by Victor Goss (in attendance)
Doris, a desert
housewife and aspiring channeler, finds herself in the middle of chaos as the prophecies she’s made about the End of the World start
coming true. Soon she becomes an overnight media sensation with a following of “disciples” - all searching for their own truth. Both
funny and emotional, this story is filled with compelling questions about the dangers of predicting 2012 and the end of it all.SHOWN WITH Fly Away (10 min) - Shorts Collection 1
1:30 pm - Theater A
WINGS TO FREEDOM
44 min, India , Directed by Som Bakshi
Yogi raj Gurunath Siddhanath is a living Master of India
who went into spontaneous meditations from the age of three until his meeting with Babaji, the eternal Yogi Christ, in whose presence
he was transformed. Today, Yogi raj brings to light the closely guarded secrets of the Himalayan yogis. This film captures candid
moments against the breathtaking high-altitude scenery, glacial rivers, and caves hallowed by ancient sages. SHOWN WITH Chenrezig
(11 min) and Tranquility (9 min) - See Shorts Collection #1 & #2
10 am - Theater A
KINGS WITH STRAW MATS, 70 mins, Directed by Ira Cohen
This is a pilgrimage into the heart of India's greatest sacred
celebration, the Kumbh Mela, which takes place every twelve years. The film brings us face to face with an unforgettable gathering
of holy men and into the heart of the visionary experience by rendering it as it really is: a circus of high madness with its mixture
of profundity, true devotion, and showbiz (saavy. SHOWN WITH The Passenger (7 min) and The Gnostic (5 min) - see Shorts Collection
2
3:30 pm - Theater B
THE QUANTUM ACTIVIST. 78 min, USA.
Dr. Amit Goswami, Ph.D, shares with us his vision of the unlimited potential
of consciousness as the ground of all being, and how this revelation can help us to live better. The Quantum Activist tells
the story of a man who challenges us to rethink our very notions of existence and reality, with a force and scope not felt since Einstein
Shown
with THE SCIENTIST - 19 mins - See Shorts Collection #1
POST-NUP – 4 Min., USA
Directed by Katharine Woodman-Maynard
Post-Nup is a show about a young couple that loves each other deeply and
yet struggles through the daily disagreements that pepper every marriage. In this episode, Gaby bets Omar that she can meditate better
than he can, and a meditation competition ensues.
5 MINUTES EACH – 10 Min., Canada/Serbia
Directed by Vojin Vasovic
5 Minutes Each is a metaphorical story about the constant struggle
of the artist to reach those five minutes of limelight and about the hermetical life of artists, who are enclosed into their own world
of ideas, striving to create the epochal masterpiece.
THE GNOSTIC – 5 Min., USA
Directed by Joe MacDougall & Robert Subiaga (Producer)
(In attendance)
A mysterious warrior with an aboriginal
background confronts a Nestorian monk converted to Zen about one of Zen's most famous teaching stories.
THE PASSENGER – 7 Min., USA
Directed by Julie Zammarchi
A woman travels in a car toward her own death. Along the way memories, visions,
and a couple of talking animals crowd her consciousness. The film is a ride through the disparate images of her mind’s eye and
a quest to piece together her life’s meaning.
THE ST. CHRISTOPHER CARRYING THE INFANT CHRIST
2 Min., UK - Directed by Ignasi Pi-Sunyer de Gispert
The story of Saint Christopher
is one of the most obscure and fascinating pre-christian myths.
THE SCIENTIST – 19 Min., USA
Directed by Matthew Miller
To reunite with his lost loved one, a Scientist crosses into a parallel universe
where the girl is still alive. While trying to replace his parallel self, he must face why he lost her before and that he may not
be worthy of having her back.
FLY AWAY – 10 MIN., USA
Directed by Atilio Massa, Feature
Mike faces an extreme transformation as a result of years of living under
his mother's wings.
TRAJECTORY – 3 Min., USA
Directed by Larry Whitney (In attendance)
A modern interpretation of the visionary arc.
CHENREZIG – 11 Min., Canada
Directed by Doug LeConte (in attendance)
Chenrezig explores the relationship between Art, the Sacred, and
the pathway of peaceful action.
COSMIC GRANNY – 16 Min., USA
Directed by Jody McNicholas
Meet Anne, a lively grounded English grandmother with a cosmic vision and a
gentle voice of wisdom. Granny shares her personal stories of conversations with Light Beings, inter dimensional journeys and inner
Earth cities in a manner that makes them seem as normal as her offering of tea and cookies.
SPEAK HEAVEN – 15 Min., USA
Directed by Lauren Auricchio
We follow Grace on her quest through the expressions of a Greenwich Village
artist to reveal the identity of the Blue Woman in her visions--a coming Goddess said to be the savior of mankind.
10:30 am Theater A
SHORTS COLLECTION 2 (See below for details)
1:30 pm Theater A
SHORTS COLLECTION 1 (See below for details)
3 pm Theater A
SHORTS COLLECTION 2 (See below for details)
KARMA CATS – 7min, USA
Directed by Don DiNicola (in attendance)
'Sherman and Peabody' meets 'Where In The World Is Carmen San Diego'
with a touch of 'X Files'.
STEEPLES - 3 min USA
Directed by Bryan Papciak
A very short film about church steeples.
LEA – 20 MIN., France
Directed by Jean-Christophe Cader, Feature
In the year 2020 A.D.; Main parts of Europe are colonized
by the Chinese regime. During this time, a young girl, Lea, wakes up in a hospital after an eight year coma. Due to the certain side
effects of the experiments done on her while she was in a coma, she aquired extraordinary powers and is now being hunted down.
JINX NO MORE - 9 min, USA
Directed by Geoff Reisner
Written, Produced, & Starring Valerie Lynn Hanna (In attendance)
A
metaphysical discussion about the meaning of life and our existence here on earth takes a turn into the unknown.
ARRIVAL - 2 min, Canada - Directed by Gisella Castillo
'Arrival' is a film that takes you into the mind of a child and his imagination.
Did what he experienced really take place? Or was it all in his mind.
LIGHT SHOW - 11 min, USA
Directed by Matt Merwin
Two men of faith, an artist and an art historian share their thoughts on the essential
role the artist plays in society.
THE LADY IN WHITE - 12 min, Canada
Directed by Glen Chua (in attendance)
Inspired by the radio mysteries from the late 1940s, The Lady
in White tells the tale of a man who, while driving late one stormy night, encounters a mysterious distraught bride on the side of
the road.
THE HIDDEN SISTER - 5 min, USA
Directed by Zina Brown
A fire performer, tribal belly dancer, aerialist, fetish model, stilt-walker,
and burlesque star come together to find The Hidden Sister...
TRANQUILITY, 9 min, USA
Directed by Dorian Kingi, Feature
(in attendance)
PoIn the Korean War of 1952, a young Korean girl and an American
Soldier find themselves lost between heaven and earth. Through conversations, the two discover that they have been a part of a battle
which will change their lives forever..
SILENCE AND LOVE, 11 min USA -
Directed by Alexander Klosterkemper
Why meditate? Can meditation help save the world? What does silence
mean?
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING & SPEAKING AT EACH SHOWING
Victor Goss & the Cast of Apocalypse According to Doris
Michael Perlin (3 Magic
Words)
Ray Schmitt (Out of the Blue)
Sean M. Fischer (Metaphysia 2012)
Rajati Bakshi (Wings to Freedom)
Glen Chua (The Lady in White)
Valerie
Lynn Hanna (Jinx No More)
Robert Subiaga (The Gnostic)
Larry Whitney (Trajectory)
Dorian Kingi (Tranquility)
Doug LeConte (Chenrezig)
Don
DiNicola (Karma Cats)
3:30 pm Theater A
SACRED SPACE: SEARCHING FOR THE SOURCE 40 min, USA
Co-directed by Carolyn Cobelo & Sophie Rousmaniere
Carolyn Cobelo
and a team of experts examine the potent effect that sacred space has on the human psyche and journey to sacred sites in Guatemala,
the Yucatan Pennisula in Mexico, the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona, and New Mexico. Energetic ley lines, Feng Shui, Buddhist stupas,
sacred altars, Earth vortexes and historic pilgrimages color this film with a spirit of adventure and a tone of reverence.
SHOWN WITH
The Lady in White (15 min) and 5 Minutes Each (10 min) - See Shorts Collection 2
5:15 pm- Theater B
SHORTS COLLECTION 1 (See below for details)
6:30 pm - Theater A - Stephen Simon Opening Remarks
10:30 am - Theater A
FOG RAVENS - 70 min, USA, Directed by Barnard Voorhees
Explores the mystics and storytellers of Northern New
Mexico using an experimental Persian storytelling technique that enables viewers to arrive at a non-linear theme not obvious
in the particulars of the film. Combines Voorhees lifelong studies of mysticism and shamanism. SHOWN WITH Post-Nup (4 min)
and Arrival (2 min) - See Shorts Collection 2
7:30 pm - Filmmakers Party (By invitation only)
1:30 pm - Theater B
OUT OF THE BLUE
51 mins - USA
Directed by Ray Schmitt (In Attendance)
Filmmaker Ray Schmitt travels the US and Mexico
in search of spiritual peace, exploring both Eastern and Western philosophy and religion, talking with scientists and others have
have lost their spouses. Running into synchronistic events, Schmitt was unprepared for the revelation that happened two years after
his wife passed away. SHOWN WITH Silence and Love (11min)-- See Shorts Collection 2
1:30 pm - Theater A
LINDSAY WAGNER KEYNOTE PRESENTATION - Buy Tickets
5pm - Theater A - SPIRIT IN FILM PANEL DISCUSSION -Info
6:30 pm - AWARDS CEREMONY & 8 pm GALA PARTY - Buy Tickets
CHALLENGING IMPOSSIBILITY - 28 min, USA
Directed by Sanjay Rawal
Shown at Tribeca, this film chronicles the weightlifting odyssey of
the late spiritual teacher and peace advocate Sri Chinmoy, who at age 73 lifted a total of 200,408 pounds in the 2004 weighlifting
exhibition featured in the film.
SHOWN WITH "FACE OF THE EARTH" - 28 mins, Russian Federation
Directed By Michael Gins
An experiment where our planet is under surveillance
by an advanced alien civilization leads to an outsiders view of the funny and absurd observations about life on Earth and the human
species.
2 pm - LINDSAY WAGNER WORKSHOP "Quiet the Mind & Open the Heart" - Buy Tickets
12:30 pm - Theater B - Metaphysical Filmmaking PANEL -Info
10 am - Theater B
THE 13th DAY – 1 hr 25 Min., UK
Directed by Ian & Dominic Higgins
The 13th Day dramatizes the true story of
three young shepherds who experienced apparitions with a “Lady from Heaven” between May and October 1917, which culminated into a
final prophesized Miracle. - SHOWN WITH Lightshow and Lea - (See Shorts Collections 1& 2)