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INDEPENDENT WORKS: Uncommon Vision: The Life and Times of John Howard Griffin
John Howard Griffin is best known as the white man who in 1959 disguised himself as a black man and then traveled anonymously through the heart of Dixie. From his experiences he wrote “Black Like Me”, a groundbreaking best seller that today stands as a testament to Griffin’s moral commitment and a document of one of the more extraordinary events of the Civil Rights era. “Uncommon Vision” focuses on Griffin’s social activism but will also examine how a spiritual commitment led him from a segregated childhood in Fort Worth to fighting with the French Underground, sustained him during ten years of blindness incurred by war injuries and inspired him during a prolific creative life as a writer/photographer. It’s an inspiring, entertaining and edifying story. Studs Terkel, one of the great chroniclers of 20th century American culture and a frequent interviewer of Griffin, summed him up thusly.
This documentary goes to the heart of Merton's spiritual journey.
The Poetry of a Soul: A Monk's Story This program looks at the spiritual journey of Matthew Kelty and the wisdom he has gained along the way. His words, coupled with remarkable scenes of monastic life inspire, inform and enlighten.
 Why does a community of Roman-Catholic monks located in rural Kentucky annually attract thousands of visitors from around the world? What does the enduring stature of the Abbey of Gethsemani say about the state of our culture today? These are the questions Atkinson has spent more than a year behind the walls of Gethsemani considering. Granted remarkable access by the monks, he and his crew have observed four seasons in the life of one of the world’s most renowned spiritual centers. Atkinson has found that while many are drawn by the legacy of the monastery’s most famous citizen, Thomas Merton, Gethsemani’s call runs deeper than the remarkable life of one man. By looking into Gethsemani’s unique physical and spiritual environment, viewers gain an unparalleled vantage point to a place Merton once called "the center of the universe."
This documentary is the full-length realization of "A Time in the Garden" executed in the more traditional narrative style, including interviews with resident monks and visitors on retreat. It will soon be aired on public television. A
Way of Life, 1999, BetaSP, 88 min
click here for more information This program takes the viewer inside several events that define a mid-American community (Louisville, KY) in the 1990s, from a campaign for gay rights to an incident of violence in the workplace resulting in multiple deaths and leaving many wounded. Atkinson addresses the upheaval in societal values that has occurred over the past 40 years with a rawness that lends a distinctly personal tone to the subject matter, producing an affecting piece of work. Featured on KET (Kentucky’s PBS affiliate), 1994 and 1995. Winner of the Silver Apple award at the National Educational Film & Video Festival, 1995. A
documentary examining the short bittersweet life of the Louisville
Falls Fountain, once ballyhooed as the symbol of the city
and the equal of the St. Louis Arch. The fountain endured
much public criticism during its day and was finally sold
for scrap metal. Through interviews with native Louisvillians,
city officials and out-of-towners, as well as historical footage
of the fountain itself, Atkinson gives the viewer a tragicomic
look at what happens when a community decides to create a
world-class landmark.
Peaceworks
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Uncommon Vision: The Life and Times of John Howard Griffin is a Morgan Atkinson documentary on the remarkable life of a son of the American South, who became a citizen of the world and stirred the conscience of a nation.
Award-winning producer Morgan Atkinson spent years researching Merton’s work, as well as interviewing Merton friends, scholars and authorities on the spiritual life. Atkinson’s cameras reveal life at the Abbey of Gethsemani, Merton’s home of 27 years, as well as Merton’s path in New York City, Redwoods Monastery (California) and Christ in the Desert Monastery (New Mexico). The picture that emerges from Atkinson’s study provides provocative insights into the interior landscape of one of the spiritual giants of modern times while capturing the haunting physical beauty of the geography that both nurtured and shaped Merton. 
Matthew Kelty is a Trappist monk. The Trappists are a religious group known for silence, prayer, labor and isolation from the world. Now, at 89, Matthew still works hard and certainly prays, but he also talks a lot, laughs just as much and as the guest house chaplain at the Abbey of Gethsemani is very much in touch with the world. In his long life he has been a hermit, a lover of motorcycles, Thomas Merton’s confessor, a missionary and most importantly a man seeking to grow ever deeper in his relationship with God.
A look at the enduring power of rock-and-roll, the fickleness of celebrity and the predicament of the artist, this documentary examines the career of Louisville musician Tim Krekel. From his early days as lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffett to his current role as a celebrated singer/songwriter, Atkinson follows of the development of Krekel’s craft while showing the struggle of sustaining a life in music. Club scenes and studio time, on the road and at home, interviews with Krekel, the band, his family and friends explore the alluring romance of rock-and-roll. Atkinson will continue shooting with the release of Krekel’s new album, Happy Town, with a wrap date set for Summer 2003.
Featured on KET (Kentucky’s PBS affiliate) 1999 and 2000, and in the Louisville Film & Video Festival 2000. Winner of the 2000 CINE Golden Eagle Award.
Featured on KET (Kentucky’s PBS affiliate) in 1998, and in the Louisville Film & Video Festival 1998. 
Falls
City, 1994, BetaSP, 50 min
Focusing on a group of Roman-Catholic nuns based in Louisville, KY, this documentary shows their efforts to continue making meaningful contributions to society amidst dwindling membership and dramatic changes in their way of life.
Dr. Tom Owen, historian and Pied Piper of Louisville, captures the essence of the city with walking tours that are lively, funny, poignant and informative.
A documentary covering an anti-nuclear protest-march which drew over a million people to New York City| Upcoming events:
Click here to listen to the America magazine podcast about Uncommon Vision To learn more about showings and broadcasts of "Uncommon Visions" please click here. |
