NEWS RELEASE
A WILL FOR THE WOODS
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A Will For The Woods documentary film screening and discussion
Tuesday, June 14. Doors 6:30 p.m. Film 7 p.m.
ANAF, 32 Gordon Street, Guelph.
Pay what you can (no one turned away). $10 suggested donation
What if our last act could be a gift to the planet?
Determined that his final resting place will benefit the earth, musician, psychiatrist, and folk dancer Clark Wang prepares for his own green burial while battling lymphoma. The spirited Clark and his partner Jane, boldly facing his mortality, embrace the planning of a spiritually meaningful funeral and join with a compassionate local cemeterian to use green burial to save a North Carolina woods from being clear-cut.
With poignancy and unexpected humour, A Will for the Woods portrays the last days of a multifaceted advocate – and one community’s role in the genesis of a revolutionary movement. As the film follows Clark’s dream of leaving a legacy in harmony with timeless cycles, environmentalism takes on a profound intimacy.
Here is the directors statement:
For all of us, one of the core motivations in making was to shed light on this profound environmental and social movement. At first, we were primarily fascinated with green burial as a strategy for land conservation and the reduction of environmental impacts, but as we continued working on the film, and particularly through witnessing Clark’s journey, we saw what a powerful spiritual experience green burial can be. For many, including Clark, green burial offers the unexpected gift of a deeper understanding of our connection to the natural world — of what it means to die, but also live, sustainably and in harmony with nature. We hope that the film will provide this comfort for others.
Here are some of the reviews of the film:
"★★★★ A Beautiful Rumination on Life, Death and Burial Choice ... Advocating without preachiness and emotional without exploitation, this film is a lovely piece of work." Dan Schindel, Nonfics
"A unique and unflinching examination." John Esther, Jesther Entertainment
“This movie will open your eyes to a new way of thinking.” John Angelico, San Francisco Gate
“Will make you reconsider how you want to die.” Indiewire
A Will For the Woods discussion will be facilitated by Marion Willms and Christine Lafazanos. Marion is a registered nurse and Death Midwife with Departure Nurse where she supports individuals and their families in end of life care at home including home wakes and funerals. http://www.departurenurse.ca/ [email protected]
Christine Lafazanos is a Certified Life-Cycle Celebrant with Woven Threads – Handcrafted Ceremonies and creates custom spiritual and secular wedding and funeral ceremonies. http://www.woven-threads.ca
Discussion to follow.
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