Documentary
Scared Sacred
by Vecrow Ripper
DVD (Europe PAL Region 2)
Used DVD in very good condition
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Audio : Français, English (VO)
Subtitles : English (optional)
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How do humans find meaning in the face of overwhelming horror and tragedy? SCARED SACRED is a critically acclaimed documentary that takes audiences on a journey to the "Ground Zeros" of the world, searching for stories of hope and significance. During his five-year odyssey, award-winning filmmaker Velcrow Ripper travels to the killing fields of Cambodia, war-torn Afghanistan, the toxic wasteland of Bhopal, post-9/11 New York, Bosnia, Hiroshima and others. Interweaving visually stunning footage with insightful interviews with people determined to heal themselves and those around them, the film becomes a remarkable testament to the human spirit as Ripper discovers the human potential to transform the "scared" into the "sacred."
SPECIAL FEATURES
- 16:9 anamorphic transfer, enhanced for widescreen TVs
- Audio commentary by director Velcrow Ripper
- Director's Q&A
- "Forgiveness, Justice, and Genocide": A panel discussion with Velcrow Ripper, filmmaker Atom Egoyan and writer Handani Ditmars
- Guided Tonglen Meditation session
- Theatrical trailer
- Downloadable user's guide
- Filmmaker bios and weblinks
- English subtitles
- Optional French soundtrack
It isn't so much what he does but how he does it that distinguishes Scared Sacred , a 2004 documentary by the curiously-nicknamed Canadian filmmaker Velcrow Ripper. The concept is high: driven by the notion that the human race is hastening its own (and the planet's) annihilation, in 1999 Ripper embarked on a five-year journey to "the Ground Zeros of the world searching for the sacred inside the scared." In these grim spots, ranging from Bhopal, India (the scene of many thousands of deaths in the Union Carbide pesticide disaster) to the killing fields of Cambodia, from war-torn Bosnia and Taliban-ravaged Afghanistan to New York City in the wake of 9/11, this self-described "tourist of darkness" found not only horror but hope; Ripper encounters Israelis and Palestinians willing to engage in actual dialogue rather than bomb each other into oblivion, Bosnian artists who continued to create during the four-year siege of Sarajevo, and so on. But if the experience isn't quite as profound for us as it was for him (what he refers to as "sacred" is basically the resilience of the human spirit, our innate empathy, compassion, and will to adapt and survive), Ripper's actual filmmaking technique often approaches transcendence. The cinematography is brilliant; the film's best moments are those in which Velcrow offers us not standard documentary footage but rather successions of profoundly striking images--some gorgeous, some stark and horrific, most far more impressionistic than literal--that float like visual poetry over a bed of gentle electronic music and the director's own low-key narration. Special features include Ripper's audio commentary, a panel discussion that includes fellow filmmaker Atom Egoyan, and even a 30-minute guided meditation sequence. --Sam Graham
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Scared Sacred is a feature documentary that asks the question: Can we be Scared into the Sacred? The film takes us on a journey to the pivotal ground zeros of the world, places like Bosnia, Hiroshima, New York City and Afghanistan in search of stories of hope and meaning.
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In a world teetering on the edge of self destruction, award-winning filmmaker Velcrow Ripper sets out on a unique pilgrimmage. Visiting the 'Ground Zeros' of the planet, he asks if it's possible to find hope in the darkest moments of human history. Staring directly into the face of war, tragedy and instability, Ripper travels to the minefields of Cambodia; war-torn Afghanistan; the toxic wasteland of Bhopal; post-9/11 New York; Bosnia; Hiroshima, Israel and Palestine. This unflinching documentary captures his five-year odyssey to discover if humanity can transform the 'scared' into the 'sacred'. Confronting horror and heartbreak around the world, Ripper meets those who have suffered first-hand. And in each place, he unearths unforgettable stories of survival, ritual, and recovery. Scared Sacred deftly weaves together haunting and luminous footage with words, memories, and an evocative soundscape to create an exquisite portrait of a search for meaning in times of turmoil. With an engaging, first-person narrative, this beautiful film reveals that the darkness of catastrophe can be illuminated with hope.
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