Film explores question of 'One'

Last updated Feb 13, 2007 12:0pm0

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Brian Vegter, John Simpkins, Joe Leonardi and Dougal Haines volunteer their efforts to stage “Talkies.

Sisters theater aficionados came together at Sisters Movie House last Thursday to explore through music and film the concept of the "oneness of all - one world, one people, one destiny."

As the program started, the lights faded to the inspiring sounds of local singer-songwriter Anastacia Scott who after a three-song set brought current Sisters resident and reggae artist Rohantha on stage to join her in singing Bob Marley's hit song "One Love." The audience was asked to sing along, to contemplate how we as individuals can come together as one.

"The idea is to somehow relate the music to the (forthcoming) film," Scott said. "What's so beautiful and why I love being a part of it is because it's art, and if it's true art you can translate it any which way you want. It's very stimulating for me to take a film and a subject matter and translate my music and find the comparisons with my music to that film."

After Scott's performance, the lights dimmed even lower, as the soundtrack filled the air and the first frames of the film "ONE... The Movie" rolled out on the big screen to the capacity house audience.

Captivated for some 70 minutes, theater goers watched regular people on the street and world famous spiritual leaders and authors, including Barbara Marx Hubbard, Father Thomas Keating and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama answer questions that perplex us all, including: "Describe God." "What is the greatest quality humans possess?" "What is your one wish for the world?" "How does one obtain true peace?" "Are we all one?"

(Profiles of the individuals who contributed to the film are available at: onetheproject.com, click on ONE the Movie, then click on The Voices.)

After a short break to reflect on all they had just seen, attendees regrouped for the debut screening of the 10-minute locally produced companion to the main film, "One, a Sisters Perspective.

"The production asks Sisters residents and workers the question: "Are we all one?" (see related article, page 30).

Finally, the time came for the audience to do what is very uncommon in the normal theater experience: Respond and comment about everything they had seen.

"My dad and I have been doing this for a long time. He has this screen on his wall, and we watch these kinds of films and then we sit around and discuss. ... I think the context is so needed today...," Scott said.

Inspired by the need to bring such a forum for discussion to the Sisters community, veteran local artist John Simpkins founded "Talkies," only a little over a month ago.

"I created the name and started gathering people around to help," Simpkins said. Scott's father Joe Leonardi, Brian Vegter and Dougal Haines together with Simpkins are serving as "Talkies" advisory board. Group members call themselves "Talkies Heads."

Simpkins is patterning "Talkies" after a book club format.

"It's a gathering of people observing a film, experiencing a film together and then staying to discuss it afterwards," Simpkins said.

Sisters faces, voices featured in film

Last Thursday's "Talkies" interactive film workshop at Sisters Movie House brought the faces and voices of Sisters to the big screen.

The short film "One, a Sisters Perspective" features local residents and workers. The debut screening was presented with the goal of adding a local perspective to the evening's feature documentary "ONE... The Movie" (see related story, page 3).

Produced by "Talkies" advisory board members, who call themselves the "Talkies Heads," the short film consists of vignettes of locals responding to several thought provoking questions, including: "Are we all one?"

Sisters artist and "Talkies" founder John Simpkins told The Nugget that it was his idea to do the short film.

"I thought it would be a way of getting the movie ("ONE") into our local community in a way of asking some of the same questions of some of the local citizens," he said.

"Talkies Heads" donated their time and energy to make the film a reality. Joe Leonardi of Leonardi Media Arts provided the camera and edited over 50 minutes of footage down to a 10 minute flowing presentation. Area artist Brian Vegter, who is known for his custom dog paintings, did the camera work, and Simpkins organized and interviewed the locals who participated. Dougal Haines assisted.

Simpkins describes the advisory board as a group of friends working for a common goal.

"We all believe in this idea and everyone puts their time in for no pay. ... We're just doing this out of love, love for the community, I think," he said.

The short film, featuring the voices of some 15 locals, provided a melting pot of perceptions:

"I'm not necessarily convinced that we can have peace without some level of conflict. ... I think when we concentrate on our humanity and not on our differences, it becomes pretty apparent that we all are one," said Sisters Movie House owner Lisa Clausen.

"We're all energy, and that's how we're connected. ... That doesn't mean that as people here on earth, we're all nice people, but we're still connected one way or another," said Sue Parker of Cascade Fitness.

"Blessed are they who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed," said chiropractor Bonnie Malone.

Paulina Springs Books owner Brad Smith commented that he hopes the world will "mature emotionally to a degree that we begin to catch up to our intellectual evolving."

"Our cultures are all so different. ... We want to unite and save the world, but man we're coming from such different cultures, I don't know...," said Jeff Wester.

"Whether we're Christian, Muslim, Hindu, of the Jewish faith ... we're all one humanity. ... If people will realize that and take that to heart, a lot of the strife and conflict and things will dissolve themselves," said Mayor Brad Boyd.