Tranformative Power of Education: Lessons from Gandhi, King, Chavez and Mandela
Admissions: A Transformative Tale of Forgiveness
Winner of 26 international awards. Film screening and Dialogue with Producer, John Viscount.
JOHN VISCOUNT
JOHN VISCOUNT is a filmmaker, playwright and author of Mind What Matters. A Pep Talk for Humanity. John began writing to share the healing spiritual teachings that cured him of cluster migraine headaches - nicknamed “suicide headaches”- that he suffered for 16 years. These healing perspectives are featured in all his work including his dramatic film scripts which address human trafficking, racism, homelessness, opioid addiction, PTSD, the global water crisis, universal free health care, climate change, the homeless children of La Paz, Bolivia, terminal illness, divorce, bereavement and teenage suicide. His powerful play for schools called The Resolution merges philosophical teachings, high drama and social activism and addresses cyberbullying and the power of forgiveness.
John is CEO & Founder of the Peace Entertainment Project, Inc. (PEPSTAR) which is a new nonprofit that offers fiscal sponsorship to filmmakers, educators, artists and peace builders who create uplifting content that inspires hearts and minds and promotes peace. He is also Co-Founder of PeaceNow.com which is gathering one billion signatures for a proposed United Nations Global Resolution that establishes peace departments in governments worldwide. For more, visit www.johnviscount.com
GANDHI’S AWAKENING
GANDHI’S AWAKENING explores the fascinating story of Gandhi’s 21 transformational years in South Africa. It depicts the young British-trained lawyer as he encounters harsh prejudice and hatred, including being thrown off a train, chased by a mob and beaten with a lead pipe. It documents his experiences serving the British as an ambulance stretcher bearer in the “Zulu Rebellion” of 1906, coming face-to-face with the brutality of war and undergoing an epiphany that will set the course for his entire life. The film offers a deep, discerning look into Gandhi’s ideals as he practiced and taught them in his first ashrams and shows him as he develops his revolutionary nonviolent methods of fighting for justice. A high point is when his wife and other Indian women are empowered to join the nonviolent resistance against inequality and oppression. Followed by Dialgue with Producer, Cynthia Lukas.
CYNTHIA LUKAS
CYNTHIA LUKAS is a film producer and writer of transformative and inspirational documentaries celebrating the oneness of humanity. In 2004 she co-founded with Kell Kearns a non-profit educational media organization, Heaven on Earth Creations. Together they have co-produced six acclaimed documentaries about global oneness and nonviolence. Their most recent films are two documentaries on Gandhi: Gandhi’s Gift (2016) focuses on his final years of life, and Gandhi’s Awakening (2017) about his transformational years in South Africa. Both films will be distributed by American Public Television for broadcast on PBS in September 2018. Cynthia presents these documentaries at conferences, schools and spiritual centers around the world.
For more that 20 years, Cynthia served as a college English teacher. She has also created lesson plans for the Gandhi films which are available on the website: www.heavenonearthcreations.org