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Directed by: Dawn Mikkelson
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Released: 2019 (educational)
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Year of Production: 2018
Running Time: 87 min
Language: English
Subtitle Options: English Closed Captions
Subjects: Social Justice, Human Rights,
Psychology, Physical and Mental Health, Religion and Spirituality Studies, Criminal Justice, Peace Studies
From the streets of Minneapolis, the aboriginal lands of Australia, and the killing fields of Cambodia come the powerful stories of three people who had the courage to step out of the haunting, tragic darkness of the past, risking everything to reach the light of their own compassion.
RISKING LIGHT is a thought-provoking documentary that explores resilience, and the painful process of moving from grief to compassion and forgiveness. Through the unforgettable stories of Mary Johnson, who grieves a murdered son; Debra Hocking, a victim of government-sanctioned genocide; and Kilong Ung, who survived the terror of the Khmer Rouge, RISKING LIGHT challenges us to examine our own beliefs about forgiveness and ask “What would the world look like if we could learn to forgive one another?”
Risking Light has played over a dozen prestigious film festivals, including:
2018 Cinequest Film Festival - World Premiere (SF Chronicle named top 10 Films of Festival).
2018 Cleveland International Film Festival
2018 Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival - Awarded Best of Fest
2018 Flyway Film Festival - Special Selection
In The Press
"This inspiring tale will move you, and perhaps make you examine the harsh paths you've walked yourself." - Cinequest
"During this divisive, hair-trigger period in America, the idea of coming together after being torn apart seems fanciful and elusive. But after watching this inspiring documentary illustrating how three incredible people summoned the strength to forgive those who altered, even shattered, their lives provides the solace and hope we need. Dawn Mikkelson's film couldn't arrive at a more needed time." - The Mercury News
About the filmmaker
2018 and 2015 Emmy Award-winning producer Dawn Mikkelson’s work has been seen on PBS, OUTtv and Free Speech TV, and has screened at numerous international festivals. Festival screenings include the Galway Film Fleadh, Cambridge Film Festival, Cinequest, DocuFest Atlanta, Cleveland International Film Festival, American Indian Film Festival, Planet in Focus, and Washington DC Environmental Film Festival. 2010 McKnight Filmmaking Fellow, Mikkelson has completed four award-winning independent feature documentaries: THE RED TAIL, GREEN GREEN WATER, THIS OBEDIENCE, and TREADING WATER: A DOCUMENTARY, which celebrates the power and resilience of individuals who choose to take control of their fate and NOT to be victims of circumstance. A former television news reporter, Mikkelson is a frequent contributor for Twin Cities PBS, winner of the Eric Sevareid Award by the Northwest Broadcast News Association, and creates documentary content for brands and causes around the world.
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