2021 ILLUMINATE Film Festival

Conscious Shorts II – Freedom in Contemplation

Expired May 27, 2021 6:59 AM
Already unlocked? for access
Cast your vote for our audience awards. The voting period has closed. Stay tuned for the results!

Short films include Dottie, Day of a Stranger, LOTUS, and Larry Rosenberg: Long Path Home.


Program includes live virtual Q&A on Thursday, May 20, Noon PDT with: 

Dandan Liu, director, Dottie

Cassidy Hall, director, Day of a Stranger

Angelika Fürstler, director, LOTUS

Marty Ostrow, director, Larry Rosenberg: Long Path Home

Day of a Stranger


Do we need to retreat from the world in order to love it more deeply? Contemplatives answer, "Yes." Day of a Stranger immerses us in an intimate portrait of world-renowned Trappist monk, mystic, and author, Thomas Merton. We find him through interwoven images of his hermitage nestled deep in the woods of Kentucky, and through rare audio recordings he made in isolation. A prolific writer, Merton dialogued with many world-thought luminaries. This is meditative filmmaking at its best. It pieces together a glimpse into the consciousness of one of the twentieth century’s most brilliant minds.

  • Year
    2021
  • Runtime
    31 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    United States
  • Premiere
    World
  • Director
    Cassidy Hall
  • Producer
    Cassidy Hall and Patrick Shen
  • Executive Producer
    Mary and Christian McNamara, Rena and Richard Hall
  • Cinematographer
    Patrick Shen and Cassidy Hall
  • Editor
    Patrick Shen
  • Composer
    Alex Kozobolis and Ed Hamilton