THRIVE is an unconventional documentary that lifts the veil on what’s REALLY going on in our world by following the money upstream — uncovering the global consolidation of power in nearly every aspect of our lives. Weaving together breakthroughs in science, consciousness and activism, THRIVE offers real solutions, empowering us with unprecedented and bold strategies for reclaiming our lives and our future.
Whose a part of the conversation in THRIVE
Duane Elgin, Nassim Haramein, Steven Greer, Jack Kasher, Daniel Sheehan, Adam Trombly, Brian O’Leary, Vandana Shiva, John Gatto, John Robbins, Deepak Chopra, David Icke, Catherine Austin Fitts, G. Edward Griffin, Bill Still, John Perkins, Paul Hawken, Aqeela Sherrills, Evon Peter, Angel Kyodo Williams, Elisabet Sahtouris, Amy Goodman, and Barbara Marx Hubbard.
“The Way” is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends, and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son (played by Emilio Estevez), killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking the Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honor his son’s desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn’t plan on is the profound impact the journey will have on him and his “California Bubble Life.”
Inexperienced as a trekker, Tom soon discovers that he will not be alone on this journey. On “The Way,” Tom meets other pilgrims from around the world, each with their own issues and looking for greater meaning in their lives: a Dutchman (Yorick van Wageningen), a Canadian (Deborah Kara Unger) and an Irish writer (James Nesbitt), who is suffering from a bout of writer’s block.
From the unexpected and, oftentimes, amusing experiences along “The Way,” this unlikely quartet of misfits creates an everlasting bond and Tom begins to learn what it means to be a citizen of the world again. Through Tom’s unresolved relationship with his son, he discovers the difference between “the life we live and the life we choose.”
THE WAY, written and directed by Emilio Estevez, was filmed entirely in Spain and France along the actual Camino de Santiago.
Visit The Way Official Site for more information and show times
WAKE UP tells the true story of Jonas Elrod, an average guy who one day suddenly began seeing and hearing angels, demons, auras and ghosts all around him. Perplexed by his new ability to experience the supernatural, he sets out on a soul-seeking journey to find answers to his mystifying situation. From physicians, religious teachers, scientists to mystics, spiritual healers and more, he humbly inquires “Why me?” He also fears being ostracized by his own God –fearing, southern Christian family, while failing to see the “gift” of his new found ability, that even his hometown preacher affirms could quite possibly be “God’s way of communicating with him.”
Throughout the film, Jonas’ loving yet doubting girlfriend Mara, supports him but questions his experiences along the way. Her skepticism leads to her own profound awakening we witness firsthand. The film culminates in the realization that Jonas’s “special ability” is the inspiration for him to discover who he really is and get more out of life. Jonas’ captivating journey to explore larger truths about the universe and everyone in it reveals how all of us can search inward for our own peace and happiness. It’s an invitation to accept that there is more to this life than meets the eye.
What People Are Saying
“Wake Up is more than just a movie, it’s become a movement. We’ve done screenings across the country and people everywhere are telling us how this film has inspired them to see the spiritual and miraculous in everyday life,” shares Jonas. He adds, “I am thrilled that Oprah has chosen to feature our film on her new Super Soul Sunday series, I believe and hope it will touch many lives.”
BROOKLYN, NY( November 2011)– Brooklyn based filmmaker Jonas Elrod’s provocative documentary film WAKE UP tells the true story of how he one day suddenly began seeing and hearing angels, demons, auras and ghosts all around him. Perplexed by his new ability to experience the supernatural, he sets out on a soul-seeking journey to find answers to his mystifying predicament. From physicians, religious teachers, scientists to mystics, spiritual healers and more, he humbly inquires “Why me?”
Watch the trailer
“Wake Up” is also available on DVD and VOD at www.wakeupthefilm.com and is distributed by Beyond Words, it premiered at SXSW Film Festival and its New York City theatrical debut was hosted by Sting and Trudie Styler. The film includes interviews with many renowned scientists, teachers and spiritual leaders such as Sufi mystic Lllewellyn Vaughn-Lee, Abdi Assadi, JZ Knight, Stephan A. Schwartz Ph.D., Gary E. Schwartz Ph.D., Zen Roshi Joan Halifax and Roger Nelson Ph.D.
The film is produced by Walk the Walk Entertainment and Open Eye Productions.
It boasts a stellar production team: Directors Jonas Elrod and Chloe Crespi; Producer Steve Hutensky (The Human Stain, Cold Mountain); Editor, Chris Seward (Fahrenheit 911, Sicko) and Co-Executive Producer Trudie Styler; and features music from Radiohead, Sting, Brian Eno, Deerhunter and original music composed by Jonas Elrod.
I found Kumare to be a surprisingly sweet and gentle, albeit extremely controversial, documentary; which was conceived and directed by, Vikram Gandhi, a New Jersey-born American of East Indian decent. It was beautifully filmed with excellent audio. The documentary follows Gandhi as he playfully dresses up as an Indian Guru and watches the response he gets in India and in the U.S. Then he decided to see if his alter ego as an Indian Guru, could get a following. So he went to Phoenix where he knew no one and started his own “teachings” as the Indian Guru, Kumare. His teachings consisted of made-up chants, fake “yogic” postures and a blue light meditation which he created himself. He also spoke in an Indian accent, dressed in robes, wore his hair long and behaved in a way that made people think he was not familiar with western culture.
Brought up in a Hindu family that clung to their religious rituals and beliefs, Gandhi is a bit rebellious regarding Hindu religion and spiritual practices in general. His endeavor to expose the whole Guru experience through this documentary experiment may seem quite sacrilegious, but it is cloaked in the sweet nostalgia of a loving childhood upbringing filled with sweet memories of his family’s culture.
In the film, Kumare is continually interjecting into his spiritual lessons that he his a fraud and that his students don’t need him as a guru. He would say that a guru is no more closer to God than we are. He even had his classes use a vision board to show themselves never really needing a guru. He gave his students an exercise to pretend that they were Kumare, and Kumare played the role of the student. In the exercise, they lecture Kumare on what they themselves need to do to improve their lives. Kumare was teaching them self-empowerment, which I believe, is the greatest spiritual teaching.
The film turned out to be much more loving than a documentary whose goal it was to show how easily fooled people can be about gurus. The message of self-empowerment was sweetly delivered. Highly recommended. See the trailer at the Kumare official movie website.
Better Living Through Circuitry is a documentary about the ecstatic qualities of raves. (Sensitive viewer alert: Some bad language and discussion of drug usage.)
Raves are huge parties, not night club events. Raves transcend the whole rock-n-roll scene. Thousands of people young, old, black, white, yellow, red, male, female all dance together and experience oneness and timelessness where all the confinements of the rat race fall away. It’s not about how cool you look or who you are; it’s all about the dance. It’s not a meat market either. Ravers are too busy dancing and connecting on a universal level to get caught up in sexual games. People say they feel very safe at raves and this allows them to completely be themselves. Many feel so safe that they let their inner child run free. There’s also an experience of self-empowerment and connectedness that carries over after the rave. One raver said that before going to a rave, he used to be belligerent to strangers and now he is much more open and accepting of others.
The experience of oneness and complete connectedness with everyone at a rave comes through the music (Electronica, House, Techno, etc…) One theory is that the fast regular rhythm of techno music simulates the heartbeat. An interview with BT, Brian Transeau, talks about “Organic Electronic” music. He talks about how indigenous cultures dance to a drum beat that is 4-7 wave cycles per second which corresponds to the theta state, producing an experience of heightened states of awareness and creativity.
The point of view of this documentary is extremely spiritual, loving and all about self-empowerment and as a result is immensely uplifting.
Synopsis: Director Mark Wexler embarks on a worldwide trek to investigate just what it means to grow old and what it could mean to really live forever. But whose advice should he take? Does 94-year-old exercise guru Jack LaLanne have all the answers, or does Buster, a 101-year-old chain-smoking, beer-drinking marathoner? What about futurist Ray Kurzweil, a laughter yoga expert, or an elder porn star?
Wexler explores the viewpoints of delightfully unusual characters alongside those of health, fitness and life-extension experts in this engaging new documentary, which challenges our notions of youth and aging with comic poignancy. Begun as a study in life-extension, How To Live Forever evolves into a thought-provoking examination of what truly gives life meaning.
What are the Movie Reviewers saying?
New York Times Review by Rachel Salz, It may sag a bit in places, but Mr. Wexler’s film about aging and what it means to grow old is remarkably spry and lighthearted. Despite its title, there are no prescriptions, just explorations. Full Article
Los Angeles Times Review by Robert Abele, The cheeky title “How to Live Forever” belongs to a wry, hopeful yet enigma-appreciating documentary about the perils and possibilities that come with growing old. Full Article
The film, The Men Who Stare at Goats contains jewels of profound spiritual knowledge wrapped in thick blankets of silliness.
This unusual comedy, based on the semi-fictional novel by Jon Ronson, reveals the many personal self-development programs the U.S. military explored and implemented starting in the early 1970′s after the Vietnam War. The film is an extra fictionalization of Ronson’s book. The story starts out with Bob Wilton, a reporter, played by Ewen McGregor who ventures out into Iraq during the current Iraq war to prove to himself that he is up to the task of war reporting. He meets up with Len Cassidy, played by George Clooney, who is the best psychic soldier or “Jedi” soldier to come out of Project Jedi, the program for developing paranormal powers for the military. Bob follows Len on a mission in the Iraqi desert and learns all about the history of the Project Jedi program. They meet up with the legendary Bill Jango, one of the original instructors of the program. Bill Jango, played by Jeff Bridges, is based on a mixture of people, one of them Jim Channon,who created the idea for the New Earth Army,and the First Earth Battalion, and wrote the handbook called, Evolutionary Tactics. Jim Channon also has a plan to have all departments of the military in charge of cleaning up the earth.
The film is very tongue and cheek, but preserves the original spirit of the self-development military program, which was to protect soldiers, civilians and the Earth by preventing conflict. According to the film, the purpose of the program was to see “how love and peace could win wars.” But I must emphasize that the points in the film, even though sometimes awesomely spiritual, are mostly fictionalized. I had to do some research to get to the truth. In the film, they said the phrase, “Be all you can be.” was created by fictional character Bill Jango. Clever and inspiring, but not correct.
1 Man’s quest, 9 wise people, 9 witnesses and 9 of life’s most profound questions, are you ready to be Superwised?
In the middle of the night, Len Branson wakes with a thought… following the lessons he learned in “The Secret,” he creates a spiritual experiment, to gather 9 wise people, 9 people to witness and to answer 9 of life’s biggest questions. The thought becomes a reality in the documentary, Superwise Me. We are taken on a journey through Len’s quest that leads us to a retreat in Andalusia, Spain. The 9 wise take turns answering 9 of lives most important questions and share not only their knowledge on answering these questions but also offer different techniques on how to clear your mind to find the answers for yourself.
The 9 life questions…
1. Who am I and who is God
2. How do I deal with illness and mortality
3. How do I get rid of my fear(s) and the negativity in me and around me?
4. How do I know what I (really) want?
5. How do I become and stay happy?
6. How do I love myself and another ?
7. How do I forgive myself and another?
8. How do I release?
9. How do I reach my inner wisdom, feelings?
Just as interesting as the movie is watching how one person went from a thought to creating a thing. In the Becoming Superwise e-book, we get a lighthearted yet valuable lesson in trust and believing in oneself. When things didn’t go to plan, rather than giving up, Len trusted that he was meant to do this and what might have been deal breakers for most, Len shows us how if you truly want something, there really are no obstacles.
Go here to experience the Becoming Superwise E-book
This HBO film, Temple Grandin is the true story of Temple Grandin, Ph.D. who is the first autistic person to write about and lecture about her own autistic experience. She is also an inventor that has created humane systems for herding cattle which are utilized by 50% of the cattle industry today. This is the most uplifting, inspiring film I have seen in the past few years. It won 7 Emmys in 2010 for star, Claire Danes and HBO.
The film shows Temple’s social development and education from a young age through her beginning Ph.D. studies. Her sensory difficulties and social difficulties were shown as well as the help she received from her mother and influential teachers she met through her education. She also displayed a true genius in creating mechanical solutions to problems, especially in the humane treatment of cattle. She has a real down-to-earth, logical perception and understanding of animals that would uplift and inspire the most avid animal lover. And she put these two talents, mechanical genius and deep understanding of animals, together to create humane cattle systems that are used all over the United States and the world.
What would you do if you were asked to solve the world’s problems in one night?
It is Christmas Eve and as America prepares to celebrate, a terrorist (Tom Sizemore) is threatening to blow up a nuke. The game: win 1000 points and your life if you are able solve the world’s problems by 6am. The players: seven geniuses with IQ’s above 210, the US president and one Homeland Security officer.
Director Timothy Chey’s psychological thriller will set your mind spinning as the clock counts down and the geniuses struggle to come up with real answers. A seminary student, an economics professor, a painter, a bio-chemist, a casino owner, a professional baseball player, and a pizza delivery man tackle some of the hardest questions humanity has faced:
Every war has been a meaningless waste of life. Right or Wrong? Why don’t we have a cure for cancer? What do we do about world hunger? If you were a dictator and had absolute control, what would you change? If there was one thing you would destroy in America what would that be? What is the greatest problem facing the world today? What is the meaning of life?
Will the geniuses be able to answer satisfactorily or will Washington D.C. be blown to bits? The key to diffusing the bomb could be the answer to the meaning of life? What is it?
To get more information about the movie and watch a trailer go here.
THRIVE: What On Earth Will It Take?
