From all of us at Warrior Films, we hope you and yours had a Happy Thanksgiving! May you continue to find peace and gratitude as you gather with close loved ones this holiday season, whether your family of origin or your family of choice.
With sadness, we note inspirational leader Robert Bly – trailblazing poet and translator, anti-war activist and ‘men’s movement’ leader, has died at 94.
His generous vision, pioneering on the Rites of Passage frontier, and his own stories and poems will live on in the hearts and minds of his many mentees and fans. Here’s an interview I filmed with Robert in Florida circa 2005, mostly discussing male initiation and mentorship. He was as cantankerous and brilliant as ever, and his wisdom will be sorely missed. Fortunately, among other films and numerous books, his literal voice survives in Rites to a Good Life: Everyday Rituals of Healing and Transformation.
Starting on Veteran’s Day, we were excited to present a two-day Veterans Journey Home film series sneak preview at the Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe. It was my honor to be joined at this event by:
- U.S. Senator Ben Lujan
- Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber
- State Secretary for Veterans Services Sonya Smith
- Ben S. and his father Pat – stars of “Ben’s Story”
- Lindsay B. and Brandon D. – stars of “Leaving it on the Land”
- And Wilson DeVore – Navajo healer and chanter for the holy people
The response from Veterans and others in the audience was electric, turning every screening into on-the-spot healing for us all. Special thanks to those who made this event possible, especially project advisor Drew Brugal and theater manager Guillermo Tilley.
There’s nothing “toxic” about TRUE masculinity. We aim for the next generation of men to experience initiation and mentorship into Mature Masculinity. Our mission benefits not only men, but all the women and children in their lives as well.
A few days ago on International Men’s Day, I took part in a dialogue with Dr. Jed Diamond and four other distinguished panelists, some of the world’s leading experts on gender medicine and men’s health. This rewarding interaction was profoundly meaningful to me personally, and it was a pleasure to discuss the theme “Healing Men, Healing the Planet.”
If you haven’t already seen it, we invite you to check out Boys to Men?, our mini-series highlighting the stories of numerous 15 year old boys, different across race, class, culture, and family structure. Direct, candid, and articulate, they reveal what it feels like to be a male teen today.
We also invite you to watch The Unspoken – a fiction feature film by yours truly, now distributed in the UK by Journeyman Film. You can purchase this mind-bending work on Vimeo, Google Play or iTunes.
Jean, a small town child preacher traumatized by child abuse, grows up in a mental institution without speaking. At age 26, he is involuntarily released and ends up in a broken-down, abandoned motel. There he happens upon Cory, a woman whose past is equally troubled. Together, they begin a precarious journey of healing through their mutual care. But the process is complicated by a confrontation with Jean’s abusive mother and an encounter with a traveling preacher.
We hope you will check out The Porch Magazine’s excerpt from Rites to a Good Life
Everyday Rituals of Healing and Transformation. The work that brother Gareth Higgins is doing to promote art in the service of generativity, understanding and connection deserves real attention and support.
Thank you for supporting our mission to give voice to the voiceless and empower the change agents of the world…
Frederick Marx
Warrior Films