Conscious Media

Seeking out sources for more conscious media is difficult in a world full of reality T.V, slick sound-bytes and stylish melodramas. Besides the occasional public cable special or corporate sponsored feel-good projects, where can we look for the kinds of programs and media that inspire and educate the very best in the human character?

Naropa University and it’s partners (including Gaiam) recently announced it’s third annual Gaia Film Festival. The festival features some of today’s best and most inspiring filmmakers and artists, and will showcase the best in narrative features, full length documentaries, narrative shorts, animated works, children's films or experimental art films.

From the festival website:

A Gaia Film is a movie that inspires us, lifts our spirit, or transforms our lives. A Gaia Film makes us feel more hopeful, more thankful, more connected, more passionate, and better about life in general. We identify with a Gaia Film's characters on a deep, emotional level, and are motivated by their stories to pursue positive change in our own lives. A Gaia film honors the belief that simple choices can change the world and inspires us to make a difference.

Learn more: Here

Running concurrently with the Gaia Film Fest is the Conscious Media Insititute's Awakening the Visionary Film Artist weeklong intensive summer film and screenwriting program running June 18–24, 2008 in Boulder, Colorado.

From the program website:

Dear Filmmaker:

You’ve dreamed of making a difference with your films, of tapping into your deepest inspiration. The Conscious Media Institute (CMI) utilizes screenwriting workshops and contemplative creativity exercises to make those dreams a reality. Held adjacent to the Gaia Film Festival, CMI is also a forum within which filmmaking professionals can exchange wisdom from both sides of the camera.

The program costs $900 and includes an All-Access Two-Day Pass to the Gaia Film Festival.