James Weeks, Producer, Across The King's River
Imagine getting a team of African healers to spend four years channeling spiritual energy to help you launch a documentary film!
That’s what’s happening to film producer, James Weeks. His long anticipated film, Across the King’s River, which explores how African healing traditions intersect with science, goes into production in March 2012.
Weeks will share the core messages of the film at a sacred healing symposium at Harvard University on Friday, April 13, 2012.
Directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, Stanley Nelson, “Across The King’s River” follows Weeks and his daughter on a journey of self-transformation that gives viewers insight into three sacred African traditions: the Yoruba, of Southwest Nigeria, the Dagara of Burkina Faso, and the Lebu of Senegal.
“One of the goals of the film is to inspire others to follow their visions,” Weeks said.
“Aside from being a beautiful and touching film, ‘Across the King’s River’ will shed light on some of Africa’s traditions that have been maligned and misunderstood in the West,” says Funlayo Wood, a PhD student in African Studies and Religion at Harvard, who is organizing the healing symposium on campus.
“The world needs more healing than ever before,” Wood adds. “The environment is being destroyed; people are hurting and are dulling their pain in negative and destructive ways. We are becoming more and more estranged from our humanity.”
Robert Voeks, PhD, Professor of Geography at Cal-state University, Fullerton, says “Across The King’s River” is a critically important film project and should be completed sooner, rather than later.
“The world is witnessing a global crisis of cultural erosion. Indigenous understanding of the healing properties of nature is declining as rapidly as the languages that sustain it,” Voeks says.
For more information about “Across The King’s River,” visit www.acrossthekingsriver.com