Risking Light

Directed By Dawn Mikkelson

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.

  • ABOUT
  • BIO
  • SCREENINGS
  • AWARDS
  • PRESS
  • CREDITS

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

""Frankly, western society needs more filmmakers like Dawn Mikkelson, and more people like Mary Johnson, Debra Hocking and Kilong Ung. As the world grows darker under leaders determined to segregate and marginalize, the unifying actions of these everyday p"
Screen-Space Film Blog
"“During this divisive, hair-trigger period in America, the idea of coming together after being torn apart seems fanciful and elusive. But . . . [the subjects'] lives provide the solace and hope, we need. Dawn Mikkelson's film . . . couldn’t arrive at a mo"
The Mu
""The healing power of forgiveness proves to be a universal theme in this emotional documentary about individuals who overcome personal tragedies by channeling their anger and grief into endeavors that make the world a better place.""
San Francisco Chronicle

Director/Producer - Dawn Mikkelson