Risking Light
From the streets of Minneapolis, the aboriginal lands of Australia, and the killing fields of Cambodia, three people with the courage to step out of a tragic dark past, risking everything to reach the light of their own compassion.
From the streets of Minneapolis, the aboriginal lands of Australia, and the killing fields of Cambodia, three people with the courage to step out of a tragic dark past, risking everything to reach the light of their own compassion.
Through the unforgettable stories of Mary Johnson, who grieves a murdered son; Debra Hocking, a victim of government-sanctioned genocide, and Kilong Ung, who survived the terror of the Khmer Rouge, RISKING LIGHT is a thought-provoking documentary which challenges us to examine our own beliefs about forgiveness and asks "What would the world look like if we could learn to forgive one another?"
Dawn Mikkelson (Producer/Director/Editor) 3-time Emmy Award winning producer, and 2010 McKnight Filmmaking Fellow, Dawn Mikkelson’s work has broadcast on global television networks such as PBS, CBC, and Deutsche Welle and screened at dozens of top international film festival including: DOC NYC, Doc Edge, Mill Valley Film Festival, Cinequest, and Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. 2023/2024 American Film Diplomacy Program (US State Department & USC School of Cinematic Arts) participant and finalist of the Project Greenlight Digital Studios and Seed&Spark Untold Story Crowdfunding Rally, Mikkelson has completed seven award-winning independent feature documentaries, Minnesota Mean (2023), Finding Her Beat (2022), Risking Light (2018), The Red Tail (2009), Green Green Water (2007), THIS obedience (2003), and Treading Water: a documentary (1999), as well as branded content for Nonprofit, NGO, and Governmental partners including the European Union, the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, and the Center for Victims of Torture. Based in Lake City, Minnesota, Mikkelson is a proud member of the Film Fatales, Film North, the IDA (Independent Documentary Association), and the DPA (Documentary Producers Alliance), as Co-Representative of the Midwest Region and Member of the Ethics Working Group.
Cinequest 2018
Cleveland International Film Festival 2018
Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2018
Chania Film Festival 2018
Cambodia International Film Festival 2019
Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival - Best of Fest 2018
Big Water Film Festival - Audience Favorite 2019
Director/Producer - Dawn Mikkelson