Deepak Chopra & Kirsten Johnson in a Conversation about Death
Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Kirsten Johnson chats with Deepak Chopra in this 3-part series inspired by her newly-released Netflix documentary Dick Johnson is Dead. Deepak, the poet-prophet of integrative medicine, will discuss death contemplation as both a creative and meditative practice that alleviates anxiety and allows one to live fully.
Using her unique mix of empathy and irreverence, Kirsten will draw out wisdom and surprises from a film-loving neurologist (Dr. Eelco Wijdicks, Nov. 24), a Manhattan psychoanalyst (Dr. Josie Oppenheim, Dec. 1) and an iconic philosopher and integrative medicine pioneer (Deepak Chopra, Dec. 8) in an attempt to understand how we care, live, die, mourn, and remember at this moment in history. Unlike a traditional interview, guests will be asking Kirsten their own questions about the ethics of caregiving, the art of filmmaking, and creative responses to grief and loss. Series co-presenters include Family Caregiver Alliance, Museum of the Moving Image, and Rooftop Films.
DEEPAK CHOPRA™ MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a whole health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. Chopra is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves as a senior scientist with Gallup Organization. He is the author of over 90 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. His 90th book and national bestseller, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential (Harmony Books), unlocks the secrets to moving beyond our present limitations to access a field of infinite possibilities. For the last thirty years, Chopra has been at the forefront of the meditation revolution and his latest book, Total Meditation (Harmony Books, September 22, 2020) will help to achieve new dimensions of stress-free living and joyful living. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as “one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.” www.deepakchopra.com
Kirsten Johnson’s previous film, Cameraperson—named to the New York Times' "top 10 films of 2016"—premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was shortlisted for an Academy Award. Her short The Above premiered at the 2015 New York Film Festival and was nominated for the IDA Documentary Award for Best Short. Her camerawork appears in Academy Award winner Citizen Four, Academy Award nominee The Invisible War, and Cannes Film Festival award winner Fahrenheit 9/11.
In the film Dick Johnson is Dead, a cameraperson seeks a way to keep her 86-year-old father alive forever. Utilizing moviemaking magic and her family’s dark humor, she celebrates Dr. Dick Johnson’s last years by staging fantasies of death and beyond. Together, dad and daughter confront the great inevitability awaiting us all. After its premiere earlier this year at Sundance, the film was awarded a Special Jury Award for Innovation in Nonfiction Filmmaking.
Photo: Michael Allen
