Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action

One can't doubt the earnestness of Velcrow Ripper, a Canadian photojournalist who travels the globe recording scenes of protest against oppression, which often place him in serious danger. The death of colleague Brad Will, who was killed while filming a demonstration in Oaxaca, led Ripper to make Fierce Light, an investigation of how spirituality—in various forms—can find expression in social action. The film juxtaposes footage (both from Ripper and archival sources)—of the American Civil Rights movement, the drive for equality among India's so-called “untouchables,” and a campaign against the School of the Americas (which critics claim teaches techniques of repression) at Fort Benning, GA—with discussions of “soul force,” defined as the spiritually-motivated, nonviolent forms of resistance associated with Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., among others. Interviewees include Congressman John Lewis, writer Alice Walker, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and actress Daryl Hannah, as well as a number of other activists, such as those protesting the decision to close down and sell a community garden in South Central Los Angeles (a story that is the subject of the Oscar-nominated documentary The Garden). A solid discussion starter, Fierce Light is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)