Mystics and Scientists Conference 2024: Risking Light – Online Film Screening and Panel Discussion
A film on forgiveness and compassion by Dawn Mikkelson, followed by a live panel discussion with director Dawn Mikkelson, David Lorimer, Kilong Ung (who is featured in the film) and Everett Worthington
Is it possible to forgive the unforgivable?
Come and share in this provocative cinematic journey as part of your overall Mystics and Scientists conference experience.
The film takes us to the streets of Minneapolis, the aboriginal lands of Australia, and the killing fields of Cambodia to tell 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.
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?”
The panel discussion will consist of a panel of experts on forgiveness, justice and reconciliation, including Director Dawn Mikkelson, David Lorimer, Kilong Ung and Everett Worthington.
Please note: We will automatically send out a link to view the film on Wednesday 10th April – 24 hours before the event start time. You may view the film at any time, but we recommend that you watch it right before the panel discussion.
The film screening and subsequent panel event are bound to make for a memorable evening – one which fills the soul with deep inspiration and insight.
TICKETS
Tickets for this event can be purchased separately – or as part of the main conference ticket.
Please note: All bookings will receive a link to view the panel discussion RECORDING.
The link to view the film will be available to watch only until midnight on Sunday 14th April.
Speakers
-
David LorimerWriter, Lecturer, Poet, EditorDavid Lorimer, MA, PGCE, FRSA is a visionary polymath – writer, lecturer, poet and editor who is a Founder of Character Education Scotland, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and former President of Wrekin Trust and the Swedenborg Society. David is also the Editor of Paradigm Explorer, and Chair of the Galileo Commission, which seeks the expand the evidence base of science of consciousness beyond a materialistic world view.
Originally a merchant banker then a teacher of philosophy and modern languages at Winchester College, he is the author and editor of over a dozen books, including Survival? Death as Transition (1984,2017) Resonant Mind (originally Whole in One) (1990/2017), The Spirit of Science (1998), Thinking Beyond the Brain (2001), The Protein Crunch (with Jason Drew) and A New Renaissance (edited with Oliver Robinson). He has edited three books about the Bulgarian sage Beinsa Douno (Peter Deunov): Prophet for our Times (1991, 2015), The Circle of Sacred Dance, and Gems of Love, which is a translation of his prayers and formulas into English. His book on the ideas and work of the Prince of Wales – Radical Prince (2003) – has been translated into Dutch, Spanish and French. His most recent books are A Quest for Wisdom and his collection of poems, Better Light a Candle.
-
Kilong UngAuthor, Publisher, Founder of Golden Lead Education FoundationKilong is a survivor the the Khmer Rouge, author of Golden Leaf, a Khmer Rouge Genocide Survivor, Founder and Board Director at the Golden Leaf Education Foundation, Owner and Publisher at KU Publishing LLC.
He grew up in Cambodia, and in 1975 when he was 13 years old, the Khmer Rouge took control of the country, resulting in the loss of almost 2 million Cambodians. Kilong was separated from his sisters and their family and forced into gruelling slave labour while their parents and over 50 extended family members were killed. In 1979, he had the chance to escape, he eventually made his way to the safety and freedom of the United States.
-
Everett L. WorthingtonCommonwealth Professor EmeritusEverett L. Worthington, Jr., PhD is Commonwealth Professor Emeritus working from the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he holds an affiliate appointment. He also holds a Faculty Affiliate appointment at the Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University (Human Flourishing Program). He continues to be active in research and speaking around the world. He is a licensed Clinical Psychologist in Virginia. He has published over 45 books and over 500 articles and scholarly chapters, mostly on forgiveness, humility and positive psychology, marriage, and family topics, and religion and spirituality. He also has developed the REACH Forgiveness model, supported by over 30 published randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and has recently been tested in global grant-funded RCTs in 5 countries (six sites; N = 4,598), although the results have not been published yet. He has developed numerous other positive psychological interventions.
-
Dawn MikkelsonFilm producerMulti-Regional Emmy Award-winning producer and 2010 McKnight Filmmaking Fellow, Dawn Mikkelson’s work has broadcast internationally, with festival screenings including: Cinequest, Galway Film Fleadh, Frameline Film Festival, Cambridge Film Festival, Cleveland Film Festival, imagineNATIVE, and the American Indian Film Festival. Mikkelson has completed five award-winning independent feature documentaries, The Red Tail, Green Green Water, THIS obedience, and Treading Water: a documentary, which illuminate larger societal issues while creating understanding through the intimate stories of individuals. Her fifth feature documentary Risking Light premiered in competition at the 2018 Cinequest Film Festival (listed in Top 10 by San Francisco Chronicle), playing festivals around the world and is currently being broadcast across the united States through American Public Television and Canada through the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
