PRESS RELEASE

ILLUMINATE Film Festival Announces 2017 Festival Highlights

Sedona, Arizona – April 2, 2017 – ILLUMINATE Film Festival, the premier festival dedicated to elevating and empowering humanity through transformational cinema, is holding its 4th annual event May 31 - June 4 in the spectacular red rocks of Sedona, Arizona. ILLUMINATE brings people together to experience life-altering shifts through inspirational films.

ILLUMINATE spans five days and three venues, and will present 26 of the most compelling conscious themed films of the year. There will be evening spotlights, post-screening presentations with directors and producers, Reel Healing immersions, musical performances, a virtual reality showcase, and a Healing Lounge. The Festival opens with the free-to-the-public Launch Party and Outdoor Screening on May 31 and will throw nightly parties for passholders every night of the festival.

In addition, the Festival will host a series of film industry programs - the Conscious Film Convergence, the Conscious Cinema Summit and the Conscious Cinema Accelerator - which offer workshops, networking and mentoring for those working to elevate consciousness through filmmaking.

The Festival will present its second annual Conscious Visionary Award to conscious evolution pioneer Barbara Marx Hubbard following the world premiere of American Visionary: The Story of Barbara Marx Hubbard. Another highlight in the lineup is a special program with celebrated filmmaker, author, musician and peace troubadour James Twyman.

New to the festival this year is the Luminary Living Room Series, an offering of intimate workshops with nationally renowned teachers in the mind-body-spirit realm. Teachers include renowned neuroscience and human potential expert Dr. Joe Dispenza, who will share his timeless wisdom in conjunction with a spotlight world premiere of HEAL.

HEAL is a deeply empowering, life-affirming film by director Kelly Noonan and producer and ILLUMINATE alum Adam Schomer, featuring Dispenza, Dr. Michael Beckwith, Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, Anita Moorjani, Dr. Bruce Lipton, Anthony William the "Medical Medium", Gregg Braden and several other leaders who take us on a scientific and spiritual journey where we discover that the human body can heal itself from any disease. This important film proposes we have more control over our health and life than we have been taught to believe.

This year's film lineup includes a special focus on spiritual movements and the influential leaders that sparked global awakening and self-realization. Three of the films in this section are:

The Last Dalai Lama? - Director, Mickey Lemle (Ram Dass Fierce Grace) brings to the big screen a very powerful and intimate portrait of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Lemie was able to film extensively with the Dalai Lama with an intimacy only made possible by their 30-year relationship. (Southwest Premiere)

Shadows of Paradise – This film documents the Transcendental Meditation Movement with intimate access to two of TM 's leaders – iconic filmmaker David Lynch and dedicated disciple Bobby Roth. The film documents the movement's metamorphosis following the death of founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Having grown up within TM, Director Sebastian Lange approaches his subject through an introspective lens, seeking to reconcile the present-day incarnation with the teachings and practices that have shaped his worldview. (Southwest Premiere)

Hare Krishna! The Mantra, the Movement and Swami Who Started It All - Hare Krishna! is a documentary on the life of Srila Prabhupada – the 70-year-old Indian Swami who arrives in America without support or money in the turbulent 1960s. Suddenly thrust into the raging counterculture, he speaks of the world's real need – a need for a revolution in consciousness. This captures the attention of a generation of youth seeking answers and ignites a worldwide spiritual movement, now known as the Hare Krishna movement. (World Premiere)

Music and the role it has played in expanding world consciousness will be highlighted in several musical spotlight programs featuring performances, concerts and kirtans. Films include:

MANTRA – Sounds into Silence shares the stories of people who are experiencing healing and a sense of inner peace by singing mantras together. It's a film about people reconnecting with their true selves and with others. Through encounters with a variety of characters, we discover how Deva Premal & Miten, Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, Snatam Kaur and MC Yogi came to this music themselves and to the practice of Kirtan, and how, over the years, it transformed their lives. (World Premiere)

RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World will tell the story of a profound, essential, and, until now, missing chapter in the history of American music: the Indigenous influence. This deeply insightful film cements how some of our most treasured artists - Charley Patton, Mildred Bailey, Link Wray, Jimi Hendrix, Jesse Ed Davis, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Robbie Robertson, Randy Castillo, and others - found their inspiration in ancient, native melodies and harmonies that were infused with a desire to resist. You'll never listen to your favorite rock and roll classics the same way again. (Southwest Premiere)

The Golden Age is a tour de force musical film inspired by true events about subversive pop star Maya O'Malley. After a string of incendiary remarks in the press, Maya gets dropped from his music label, and sets out on a spiritual pilgrimage to immerse himself in the vast teachings of Hindu mythology. Set against a dreamy backdrop of his compelling songs, the film reveals Maya's tumultuous journey towards spiritual redemption. (US Premiere)

Stay tuned for the full selection of films which will be announced in mid-April on ILLUMINATE's website.

Early Bird passes can be purchased at http://illuminatefilmfestival.com/tickets-passes until April 10th for $349, a savings of $95. Passes are $444 thereafter.

Major sponsors include: Natural Action Technologies, ChocolaTree, Sedona Chamber of Commerce, Science of Mind Magazine, Collective Evolution, The Collective, Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village, Sedona Real, and The Lodge at Sedona.

ILLUMINATE Film Festival, the world's premier film festival for conscious cinema will be held May 31-June 4, 2017 at the Sedona Performing Arts Center, the Mary D. Fisher Theater and The Collective.

Contact: Morgan Richmond (928) 421-1108