Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Christina Vircillo Bresson Is Helping To Change Our World
…I really wanted to show stories of the how and why of healing in order to empower people and perhaps invite them to explore themselves a bit deeper. We have a very powerful inner world, and I don’t think a lot of people understand that. While this mission might not seem earth-shattering, I believe that helping people feel empowered on the intrapersonal level helps them to find peace, balance, and even happiness.
As a part of our series about “Filmmakers Making A Social Impact” I had the pleasure of interviewing Christina Vircillo Bresson.
Christina Vircillo Bresson is an award-winning executive producer, director, and writer working in production and visual storytelling for over 25 years. After studying visual art and earning a BFA from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts, she began her career in post-production. In 2006 she launched her own production company in NYC, Three One Creative. Her company’s ground-breaking work has won industry recognition including Promax, BDA, Telly and Emmy awards. Her company’s high-profile client list includes most major networks and media brands, including, Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, Food Network, NBC, ESPN and Scientific American.
http://threeonecreative.com https://www.thewayofmiracles.com
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career?
I have always been a very curious person. Even as a young child, I was intrigued by the mysteries of nature. I really wanted to understand how things worked and the underlying nature of reality. In school, I was equally passionate about science and art. Sadly, like many young girls, I was intimidated by science as it got more mathematical and I gravitated toward my artistic side really, ultimately pursuing a career in storytelling and filmmaking. However, through recent partnerships, I have been able to enjoy the best of both worlds — learning from top sages and scientists as I help them tell their stories.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
I don’t know about funny…but I can share something interesting, at least to me…and something that very few people know. The Way of Miracles was my debut feature-length film and while it was a joy to make, it was challenging — very challenging. I think any filmmaker would tell you that filmmaking is a labor of love. It’s not just the creative work, but there are deadlines, contracts, budgets to manage — it’s a lot. Ultimately, it’s your baby and you work so hard for it. I worked hard — so hard that at times, my own health was suffering. I clearly remember one night in the edit room, listening to one of the interviews talk about healing and balance and I realized, I had lost balance completely. Here I was creating a film about miracle healers and the power we all have over our own health, but I was completely ignoring that in my daily life. It took me some time to shift gears and re-focus — but that’s what I had to do. And I hope that people that watch this film will also hear that message. Hard work is great. I love to work hard and with passion. But sometimes you need to slow down and take stock. Balance is so important.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Well, let me back up. An exciting project I just launched is my new film, The Way of Miracles. It is a documentary on how we heal and harnessing the power of healing by exploring how the energetic properties of food, thought, and emotion affects immunity, chronic inflammation, and the genetic expression of disease. I also go into concepts like flow, harmony the interconnectedness of all things as well as the importance of self-love and understanding self as a Soul. It is an East meets West, ancient healing systems and cutting-edge science, film. A threading of science and spirituality to create transformation.
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
Jane Goodall, because she’s a trailblazer. She lives her passion, and she is deeply connected to life and humanity. I am also inspired by my grandparents, who came to this country as Italian immigrants and worked hard to provide a better life for their family. I am indebted to their sacrifice and always work hard to honor them.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
For quite some time I have felt that western medicine leaves a lot on the table in terms of the cause and effect of the disease. It’s primarily symptom relief instead of root cause focused. I certainly have experienced that personally with my family. I really wanted to show stories of the how and why of healing in order to empower people and perhaps invite them to explore themselves a bit deeper. We have a very powerful inner world, and I don’t think a lot of people understand that. While this mission might not seem earth-shattering, I believe that helping people feel empowered on the intrapersonal level helps them to find peace, balance, and even happiness.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
I wish I had an ‘Aha moment’ to share but it was more about taking an opportunity that was presented. Science, health, and healing have all been interests of mine for many years. I have attended many conferences over the years purely for interest and have met several leading scientists and holistic practitioners. I ended up meeting Mark Mincolla, the key practitioner that The Way of Miracles film follows. After several conversations with him and after meeting some of his patents, I knew it was time to share these stories in a way that would give more people access to this information. I was thrilled when Mark asked if I would help him document his work. I then invited other leaders and luminaries in this space to make appearances, such as Deepak Chopra, Bruce Lipton and Shamini Jain, and I was overwhelmed by their willingness to be part of it. I assume they too feel the deep desire to get this information out, to empower others, and to bring a sense of healing and peace.
Are there three things that individuals, society or the government can do to support you in this effort?
Individuals can understand that they have a role to play in their own wellness. Your diet matters a great deal, how you manage stressful emotions matters a great deal, your spiritual health matters a great deal, how we discuss health and wellness matters a great deal. This is about whole-person medicine. I would like to see society and the government fund more studies on holistic, complimentary, and alternative health practices. I’d like to see health insurance companies cover the expenses of more complementary and alternative treatments — I’d actually like to see people free of the financial burden of all health expenses– but today, my focus is on individual empowerment.
What is 1 thing you wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
Don’t wait to be given permission to do something that is within you. Give yourself permission.
I waited a very long time before I made my own film. I had always worked on other people’s films or projects, but not my own. I’m glad I finally gave myself permission to go for it.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Get to know yourself. What are you passionate about? Meditate on that! Often when we go deep within ourselves, we can tap into a calling. Very often that calling is aligned with something that will make a positive impact in our society. So, I would advise young people to go deep within themselves and find their passion. On a more practical note, it would be cut back on processed food and your sugar intake.
We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
Definitely Dr. Shamini Jain. She is a psychoneuroimmunologist who heads up The Consciousness Healing Initiative (CHI). They do a lot of scientific research and communicate findings on the Human Biofield and studies of consciousness on health and wellbeing. I would absolutely love to tell that story in a documentary. I think she already knows this though…
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Be curious, not judgmental — Walt Whitman
I think if you want to be happy and have a productive life, stay curious. Life is a living question to be explored.
How can our readers follow you online?
You can go to thewayofmiracles.com and sign up for our newsletter and also watch the film.
This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this with us. We wish you continued success!
Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Christina Vircillo Bresson Is Helping To Change Our… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.