Best Documentary Award-Winner,
Third Annual Sun Valley Film Festival

This documentary examines the power of forgiveness in alleviating anger and grief caused by the most dramatic transgressions imaginable and those that are more commonplace. Among its subjects, the film features families of victims from the tragedy of 9/11 and forgiveness education in Northern Ireland, where unforgiveness has been a way of life for generations. Produced by Journey Films, this film is expected to air on public television stations in early 2008.

Unforgivable? will explore in detail the question, Is there any act or atrocity committed against another human being that rises to such a level that it cannot be forgiven? The documentarys dramatic and moving stories introduce real people who have faced a horrific tragedy and have struggled to find it in their hearts to forgive. Produced by Paul Dietrich and Helen Whitney, a 2009 PBS broadcast is anticipated.

Gold Camera Award-Winner,
U.S. International Film & Video Festival

This documentary, hosted by actor, playwright, and author Anna Deavere Smith, explores love in marriage, family, community, science, forgiveness, the search for the divine, friendship, and even war. Produced by the Independent Production Fund with major funding provided by the Fetzer Institute, The Mystery of Love aired on PBS in December 2006.

Seven public television stations and their local partners launched activities in the fall of 2007 with events and conversations to encourage reflection, action, and sharing about how forgiveness can effect positive change in their lives and in their communities. View the 2007-2008 campaign activities below.

Personal Stories of Forgiveness Collected in Digital Storytelling Workshop
Combining the rich tradition of storytelling with the power of modern digital technology, participants will produce personal stories of forgiveness in a workshop hosted by KEET/Eureka, Calif. The workshops will explore themes of forgiveness and include participants from the Dell'Arte theatre company, a local partner in Eureka. The stories will air on KEET and some may be adapted for a Dell'Arte theatre piece.

One Book, One San Diego
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains is the story of a Harvard-trained physician determined to cure the world, who takes his expertise and kindness on the road. The book was chosen for this year's One Book, One San Diego. As part of One Book, and the Campaign for Love & Forgiveness, KPBS/San Diego, Calif. is collaborating with San Diego State University's Common Experience, a model for sharing experiences through themes in contemporary literature. Kidder was a featured author at KPBS/One Book events fall 2007.

MPTV Spreads Seeds of Forgiveness through Mini-grants
Maryland Public Television offered mini-grants to seed community activities and conversations about forgiveness. The network is also planning to expand its campaign to tackle more complex issues such as slavery's legacy, racism, anti-Semitism, refugees, and victims of torture and violent crimes.

A Day of Love and Forgiveness
The campus of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich., will provide the backdrop for a Day of Love and Forgiveness sponsored by PBS station partner, WGVU/Grand Rapids, Mich. Bringing together organizations, community leaders, churches and the general public from Southwest Michigan communities, the Day of Love and Forgiveness will offer concerts, workshops, panel discussions and screenings of the documentary, The Power of Forgiveness.

Social Networking Captures Youth Perspective on Forgiveness
From texting to instant messaging, today's tech savvy teens rely on technology to interpret their world and exchange ideas with their peers. KETC/St. Louis, Mo. recently launched a social networking site, similar to the ever popular YouTube and Facebook, devoted to encouraging area high school students to start their own conversations about forgiveness.

Storytelling for Healing
The power of stories to heal is the premise for the WXXI/Rochester, N.Y. online and broadcast initiative, Storytelling for Healing. A collection of local stories from the community will include written, audio, and video recorded segments that will be posted in the campaign section of WXXI's Web site.

Conversation on a Red Bench the Basis for Theatrical Production
WTVI/Charlotte, N.C. will kick off its year two campaign with If This Red Bench Could Speak, a theatrical production in which a red bench is a focal point for conversations about love and forgiveness. WTVI's installation of a red bench last year at a local library became an integral part of the station's community engagement efforts and a powerful symbol of their campaign.

In 2006, public television stations launched the Campaign for Love & Forgiveness locally with conversation and community events focused on the topic of love. Here are some of the highlights from their initial efforts.

Workshops Help Children Learn Positive Ways to Express Anger
Almost everyone gets mad sometime. Teaching parents how to model appropriate and healthy ways of helping children express anger was the focus of workshops hosted by KEET/Eureka, Calif.'s Ready to Learn service. Three workshops were held January 2007 as part of the station's local campaign activities.

Personal Stories of Love Inspire and Uplift
Who can resist a good love story? KPBS/San Diego, Calif. launched Digital Storytelling: Stories of Love. By visiting a digital storytelling station located at the Central library in downtown San Diego, participants learned techniques to record and share their stories of love. The stories were collected and posted on KPBS, San Diego Public Library, and the San Diego Media Art Center Web sites.

Community Leaders Participate in A Day of Love
Forty representatives from community organizations from throughout Maryland joined Maryland Public Television for a day dedicated to reaffirming the belief that practicing love and forgiveness has the power to reinvigorate communities. The Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center provided a serene backdrop for A Day of Love, where attendees participated in seven workshops designed to explore various aspects of love and forgiveness. The day culminated with a contemplative labyrinth walk that symbolized each participant's personal journey towards forgiveness, healing, and empowerment.

Bosnian Community Turns Out for Concert of Traditional Balkan Music
Druzimo se!, The term, which loosely translates to "let's hang out together and talk," was adopted by KETC/St. Louis, Mo., as the tagline to promote campaign events and activities targeted to the St. Louis Bosnian community. Extending that same goodwill and cultural sensitivity even further, KETC sponsored a free concert featuring Mary Sherhart, an American woman known in the Bosnian community for her mastery of the Balkan style of music known as sevdah. Neither a winter storm nor the Super Bowl deterred more than 300 people from the local Bosnian community and surrounding St. Louis area from attending the concert.

Moving Exhibit Features Remarkable Examples of Forgiveness
The F Word, an exhibition of powerful images, accompanied by text, captured the stories of people whose lives had been touched by tragedy and how these same people found the strength and courage to forgive those responsible for causing them harm and pain. As part of their local campaign activities, WXXI/Rochester, N.Y., partnered with the Fellowship of Reconciliation and Restorative Justice, sponsors of the exhibit. Designed to promote dialogue and understanding, The F Word provided an ideal backdrop for attendees to record and write stories that were compiled and edited for WXXI's campaign effort.

Charlotte Residents Invited to Remember the Legacy of Dr. King
Residents of Charlotte turned out to pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to kick off the local campaign for WTVI/Charlotte, N.C. During the event, a proclamation was issued declaring January 9 Love and Forgiveness Day in Charlotte. Event organizers also unveiled a red bench, which was installed at the Mecklenburg Public Library and serves as a centerpiece of WTVI's efforts to encourage people to sit and share stories of love and forgiveness.

Love and Forgiveness Theme Part of Countywide "Reading Together" Program
There's nothing like a good story to encourage discussion. In February, 2006, the Kalamazoo Public Library, in partnership with WGVU/Grand Rapids, got residents talking about love and forgiveness as part of their "Reading Together" program. County residents were invited to read and discuss The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. The book takes the reader into the world of a 15-year-old autistic boy trying to solve the murder of a neighbor's pet poodle à la Sherlock Holmes. On this journey, he finds out a family secret that leads him to solve another, more personal mystery.