Velcrow Ripper
Encyclopedia
Velcrow Ripper is a Canadian
documentary
filmmaker, writer, and public speaker, best known for his Genie Award
-winning 2006 film Scared Sacred
and his newest feature documentary, Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action
. His 1995 feature documentary, Bones of the Forest, won twelve major awards, including a Genie Award
, and Best of the Festival at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. Many of his films examine the intersection of spirituality
and politics.
He has also been a contributor to ascent
and Shambhala Sun magazines, which explore similar issues. His writing has also appeared in the anthologies, We are Everywhere and Dam Nation.
He is a co-founder of the Gulf Islands Film and Television School, and has taught film at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design
, and at the Ontario College of Art and Design. He also teaches workshops and lectures on the themes of spirituality and activism.
Born Steve Ripper, he was raised in British Columbia as a Baha'i. He later adopted the nickname Velcrow while participating in punk rock
culture in his youth.
He currently lives on Toronto Island.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
filmmaker, writer, and public speaker, best known for his Genie Award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
-winning 2006 film Scared Sacred
Scared Sacred
Scared Sacred is an independent film produced in 2004 and released in 2006 by director Velcrow Ripper.Scared Sacred is an award winning feature length documentary that takes viewers to many of the places in the world that have experienced great suffering in recent years including Bhopal, Hiroshima,...
and his newest feature documentary, Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action
Fierce Light (film)
Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action is a 2008 documentary film written and directed by Velcrow Ripper that focuses on Spiritual Activism...
. His 1995 feature documentary, Bones of the Forest, won twelve major awards, including a Genie Award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
, and Best of the Festival at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. Many of his films examine the intersection of spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
and politics.
He has also been a contributor to ascent
Ascent (magazine)
ascent is an independent, not-for-profit magazine published quarterly that explores the intersection of spiritual values with social and political issues, art, culture and contemporary thought. ascent also publishes a website, a blog, books, and holds an annual retreat at Yasodhara Ashram. The tag...
and Shambhala Sun magazines, which explore similar issues. His writing has also appeared in the anthologies, We are Everywhere and Dam Nation.
He is a co-founder of the Gulf Islands Film and Television School, and has taught film at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design
Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design
Emily Carr University of Art and Design is a public post-secondary University located on Granville Island in Vancouver, BC, Canada...
, and at the Ontario College of Art and Design. He also teaches workshops and lectures on the themes of spirituality and activism.
Born Steve Ripper, he was raised in British Columbia as a Baha'i. He later adopted the nickname Velcrow while participating in punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
culture in his youth.
He currently lives on Toronto Island.
Films
- I'm Happy. You're Happy. We're all happy. Happy, happy, happy. (1990)
- The Road Stops Here (1994)
- Bones of the Forest (1995)
- Open Season (1998)
- In the Company of Fear (1999)
- Scared SacredScared SacredScared Sacred is an independent film produced in 2004 and released in 2006 by director Velcrow Ripper.Scared Sacred is an award winning feature length documentary that takes viewers to many of the places in the world that have experienced great suffering in recent years including Bhopal, Hiroshima,...
(2006) - Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets ActionFierce Light (film)Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action is a 2008 documentary film written and directed by Velcrow Ripper that focuses on Spiritual Activism...
(2009)