Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action Trailer (2009)

When sacred filmmaker-activist Velcrow Ripper's friend is killed during a peaceful protest in Mexico, Ripper takes a hard look at how activism and spirituality can co-exist. He embarks on a refreshingly honest, visually sublime, and deeply thoughtful historical and international quest. Human rights activists, environmentalists, politicians, and spiritual philosophers such as Thich Nhat Hanh, Desmond Tutu, and Alice Walker discuss what Gandhi called "soul force," and Martin Luther King described as "love in action." Grounding this stirring exploration is the story of a vibrant oasis in South Central Los Angeles where a decade ago 350 low-income families were granted plots of land. What became the largest urban garden in North America is under threat from developers. This road map to the transition from anger-based activism to action rooted in the "fierce light" of love and compassion inspires us to do our absolute best when faced with impossible odds.