Summer in the Forest
This event took place Jun 1 - Jun 8, 2018
$12 General Admission
$9 Student/Senior
$7 Member
Randall Wright
UK, France & Palestine
2017
1h 48m
Discussion
** Q&A on June 1st with Jennifer Kelly, past director of L’Arche in Seattle, and David Bishop, a core L’Arche member! **
About
Imagine if instead of being sent to a violent asylum due to society’s “rules” you were brought to an idyllic commune near Paris to live a life that allows for self expression. It was a young philosopher named Jean Vanier who took a stand against such institutions that were labeling those with developmental disabilities as failures in the 1960s and created L’Arche – a place where a community could flourish and people could live how they choose.
Vanier is now in his 80s and still lives and works with those who have Down syndrome and other conditions at L’Arche. Tender and observant, Randall Wright interviews Vanier but also follows many of the residents, allowing them to tell their own stories from war to dating. By observing how they each live, this once radical experiment challenges preconceptions around disabilities and what it means live.
“Summer in the Forest is an extraordinarily tender documentary that asks what it means to be human. Here, even the most gentle scenes raise mighty questions.” – Ken Jaworowski, The New York Times
About Jennifer
About David
David Bishop has been a L’Arche core member in Seattle for 23 years. He is considered a leader in our community and cares deeply for his housemates and L’Arche around the world. He presents throughout Seattle at universities and care-giving classes on what it is like to live with what he calls ‘special abilities,’ life in L’Arche, and the teachings of his friend, Jean Vanier. He is also an avid cross country skier and artist.
About L'Arche
Jean Vanier founded L’Arche with the vision of creating an intentional faith community in which people with and without disabilities could share life together. In 1964 Jean welcomed Philippe and Raphael from an institution to live in the first true home they ever knew. From its humble beginnings L’Arche has grown into an international network of communities. Today, there are 147 L’Arche communities in 37 countries throughout the world. There are 18 L’Arche communities in the United States, including the Seattle community, which was founded more than 40 years ago.