Velcrow Ripper (born October 20, 1963, in

Gibsons Gibsons is a coastal community of 4,758 in southwestern British Columbia, Canada on the Sunshine Coast (British Columbia), Sunshine Coast, where the southwest bank of Howe Sound meets the Strait of Georgia. During its early history as a Europe ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

) is a Canadian

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

filmmaker, writer, and public speaker, best known for his

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...

-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

, and Best of the Festival at the

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and Jun ...

. Many of his films examine the intersection of

spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...

and politics. He has also been a contributor to ''

ascent Ascent or The Ascent may refer to: Publications * ''Ascent'' (magazine), an independent, not-for-profit magazine * ''Ascent'' (journal), a literary journal based at Concordia College * ''Ascent'' (novel), by Jed Mercurio * '' Times Ascent'', a ...

'' 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 The Emily Carr University of Art and Design (stylized as Emily Carr University of Art + Design and abbreviated as ECU) is a public university of art school, art and design located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1925 as the Van ...

, and at the

Ontario College of Art and Design Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD U, is a public art university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its main campus is located within Toronto's Grange Park and Entertainment District neighbourhoods ...

. He also teaches workshops and lectures on the themes of spirituality and activism. Born Steve Ripper, he was raised in British Columbia as a member of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

."The punk rocker with 'industrial-strength spirituality'"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', May 14, 2009. He later adopted the nickname Velcrow while participating in

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

culture in his youth. He currently lives in

Gibsons, British Columbia Gibsons is a coastal community of 4,758 in southwestern British Columbia, Canada on the Sunshine Coast, where the southwest bank of Howe Sound meets the Strait of Georgia. During its early history as a European-descended settlement, the town ...

Films

*''I'm Happy. You're Happy. We're all happy. Happy, happy, happy.'' (1990) *''The Road Stops Here'' (1994) *'' Bones of the Forest'' (co-directed with Heather Frise) (1995) *''Open Season'' (1998) *''In the Company of Fear'' (1999) *'' Scared Sacred'' (2006) *'' Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action'' (2009) *'' Occupy Love'' (2012) *''Metamorphosis'' (co-directed with Nova Ami) (2018)

References

External links

* *https://www.velcrowripper.com *https://www.transparentfilm.media 1963 births Canadian documentary film directors Living people People from Gibsons, British Columbia Directors of Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners for Best Documentary Film Canadian documentary film producers Film producers from British Columbia {{Canada-film-director-stub