There are crimes so unspeakably horrendous they seem unforgivable. And yet, some people do manage to forgive.
Forgiveness: Stories for Our Time focuses on four individuals who have lived through events so painful and horrific they are unimaginable to most of us. The film tells their stories through heartfelt interviews, archival footage and beautiful images shot by acclaimed cinematographer John Walker.
Seventeen years after her father’s murder, Anne Marie Hagan came face-to-face with the man who killed him. She saw a genuinely remorseful and very sick human being. He has since been released. She visits him regularly.
With support from her community, Lesley Parrott forgave the unrepentant psychopath who murdered her daughter. She wanted Alison’s legacy to be her bright personality and early accomplishments – not memories of a grisly murder.
Alan McBride refuses to use the word “forgiveness” in reference to the men who murdered his wife and nine others in an IRA bombing. But when he took up a job focused on peace and reconciliation, he began to think about the pointlessness of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Today, he says he no longer holds any anger towards the surviving bomber.
Of course, not everyone can forgive. Forgiveness: Stories for Our Time also travels to England, where Anglican priest Julie Nicholson resigned from her Bristol parish after her daughter was murdered in the July 7 London bombings. Nicholson could no longer preach peace and forgiveness when all she felt was anger and outrage. Nicholson has not had as much time to deal with her loss as the others. Forgiveness may come for her one day – but she is not there yet.
In a world wracked by increasing violence and horror, Forgiveness: Stories for Our Time brings hope that there are other possibilities beyond blind revenge – and that in forgiving others we can set ourselves free.
RUNNING TIME: 52 MINUTES
The filmmaker
Johanna Lunn started Wild East Productions in April 2005. Forgiveness: Stories for Our Time was commissioned by CTV and is her first project as director/producer.
Prior to forming Wild East, Lunn was director of programming for IFC – The Independent Film Channel Canada. She was critical to the launch of the channel in 2001 and her responsibilities included commissioning or acquiring all content for the channel, the schedule, over-all management of the program group and the Halifax office. In its first year, IFC produced in-house or commissioned close to 120 hours of original programming.
Lunn came to IFC from CTV where she established the Atlantic Development Office with the mandate to develop quality Canadian programming for the network and its family of channels. She was responsible for commissioning award-winning documentaries, dramas and comedy series.
Prior to working at CTV, Lunn was artistic director for the Atlantic Film Festival where she launched a number of programming initiatives including the creation of English Canada’s first competitive children’s film festival.
CREDITS
- Written and directed by
- Johanna Lunn
- Cinematographer
- John Walker
- Editor
- Michael Greenwood
- Sound Recordist
- Alex Salter,
- Harvey Hyslop
- Producers
- Johanna Lunn,
- Kent Martin (NFB)
- Associate Producer
- John Walker
Photo Gallery
click picture for hi-rez images
FOR MORE INFORMATION
- Canada
- 1-800-267-7710
- USA
- 1-800-542-2164
- Asia and Pacific Distribution
- 514-283-9450
- European Distribution
- 902-426-7351