Think Different Film Series – 2016/17

Since 2012 I have collaborated with the Nantucket Atheneum Library to present a documentary film series that explores new ideas and perspectives related to wellness.  This is our sixth year and I think our best ever.  The thing I love most is that the Think Different Series challenges the audience to consider new ways of perceiving life and generates some great conversations.

Here’s our 2016/17 series.  The movies are 7pm on Fridays in the Nantucket Atheneum Library Great Hall (where speakers including Frederick Douglass, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau have presented over the years).  I hope you can join us!

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Shadowring

SHADOWRING tells the story of the Council on Foreign Relations, commonly described as the hidden government of the United States.  It retraces the events that led to the creation of the CFR and identifies the players who injected it into American politics.  Expert witnesses and source documents verify the accuracy of this story and unlock the secrets of the incredible power that the CFR has over our lives.

This new and exciting documentary builds on the successes of State of Mind: The Psychology of Control – Free Mind Films’ follow up to the multiple award winning documentary exposé A Noble Lie: Oklahoma City 1995.  International best-selling author and filmmaker James Perloff tells the virtually unknown story of the Council On Foreign Relations (CFR) and how that organization is the key to understanding how our world has become what we see today. 

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Digital Dharma

DIGITAL DHARMA is the chronicle of a cultural rescue. This documentary brings to light the magnitude of one man’s inspirational 50-year quest to save the literary history of a disappearing culture and to preserve early lessons of mankind’s consciousness.

The life of E. Gene Smith is an epic story of destiny and compassion that leads a pacifist on a mission of survival. In an era of espionage and mistrust, Gene’s mission becomes the catalyst for an international movement to save ancient writing and art from crumbling, literally, to dust… and then deliver them to the entire world.

This powerfully moving account crosses multiple borders… geographical, political and philosophical… Because the humanitarian and academic efforts to protect the Tibetan culture by finding and preserving thousand-year-old documents, is not only a contribution to the Tibetan people… it is a contribution to all of humanity. From the medical to the mystical – 1500 years of invaluable teachings that chronicle the advancements of mankind.

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The Lucid Dreamer

The quest to unlock the mysteries of the mind lies at the heart of the documentary THE LUCID DREAMER. Following committed Buddhist and teacher Charlie Morley, the film explores our capacity to maintain awareness during our deepest sleeping state, and how this practice may reap enormous benefits that we can then carry into our waking lives.

The focal point of the film follows Morley as he teaches the discipline of lucid dreaming during an intimate four-day retreat, and it’s complimented by a series of testimonies from additional pioneers of the practice.

Lucid dreaming was born from the Buddhist tradition over a thousand years ago. In their belief, tapping into your deepest unconscious – in effect, remaining completely self-aware during the process of dreaming – could relieve fear and stress from our lives, instill a feeling of oneness with our surroundings and our fellow man, unlock our most progressive potential, and promote greater harmony between our body, mind and spirit.

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Monster Salmon & Butterflies

We already eat Genetically Modified crops and now GM Salmon which grows faster and larger than ordinary Salmon, could come onto the market. But does anyone know what effect they will have on us and our environment?

This fascinating documentary, MONSTER SALMON & BUTTERFLIES, follows the few independent researchers of genetic engineering as they investigate the dangers of “Monster Salmon”.

“At eighteen months old you see the enormous difference here … the Salmon as it exists now is not profitable enough”, says Andrew Kimbrell as he examines an enormous transgenic Salmon. It dwarfs its natural brother lying alongside it. His is one of the few voices questioning the fast-tracking of GM Salmon onto the marketplace.

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Fear No Fruit

The film chronicles Frieda Caplan’s rise from being the first woman entrepreneur on the L.A. Wholesale Produce Market in the 1960s, to transforming American cuisine by introducing over 200 exotic fruits and vegetables to U.S. supermarkets. Still an inspiration at 91, Frieda’s daughters and granddaughter carry on the business legacy.

FEAR NO FRUIT chronicles the colorful and layered history of Frieda Caplan, a.k.a. “The Queen of Kiwi.” The first woman to start her own company in a man’s world on the L.A. Wholesale Produce Market in the early 1960s, Frieda defied the odds during the “Mad Men” era and saw no obstacles. With her daughters Karen and Jackie now at the helm as President/ CEO and Vice President/COO, Frieda’s business is responsible for helping introduce over 200 exotic fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace from every corner of the world. Tireless at 91 years old and still in the office five days a week, Frieda is an inspiration.

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Kindness Is Contagious

KINDNESS IS CONTAGIOUS is a feel-good documentary by David Gaz, narrated by Catherine Ryan Hyde, the best selling author of the novel (and film) Pay It Forward. It’s a film all about being nice and the benefits of being nice. Kindness Is Contagious profiles cutting-edge scientists and best-selling authors from Berkeley to Harvard and everywhere in between as well as real life people from all walks of life whose lives illustrate their incredible discovery:

NICE GUYS FINISH FIRST!

It all began with an article about James Fowler and Nicholas Christakis and their research concerning the viral nature of kindness. Fowler and Christakis demonstrated that if you are kind to one person, they will be kind to four other people, and that each of those four people will be kind to four more people, and so on and so on… eventually circling back around to you again. Showing in fact that Karma may actually exist in the scientific sense.

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Song of the New Earth

SONG OF THE NEW EARTH follows Tom Kenyon’s journey from Broadway, to giant caves in the south of France, the golden-chandeliered symphony halls of Vienna and finally to the snowy peaks of Tibet, performing with the unique – almost four octave range – voice which has earned him a worldwide following.

Tom Kenyon was on his way to fame as a country singer in Nashville when he began to experience uninvited paranormal states of consciousness. His quest to understand these experiences sent him on a journey into Tibetan Buddhism, Yoga, mystical Christianity, Shamanism, the Taoism of China, and Egyptian alchemy.

But spirituality did not give him all the answers he needed, and he turned to science. He discovered that neurophysiology had a language that could help explain his mystical experiences. This film explores in depth the cutting edge scientific research which proves that sound shifts brain states and promotes dramatic healing. SONG OF THE NEW EARTH presents not only Kenyon’s extraordinary journey but also an unforgettable experience with sound.