(ST. GEORGE, UT) – Dixie State College of Utah will welcome award-winning filmmaker Helen Whitney to campus for a special weeklong visit October 16-19, 2012, to present a lecture series entitled “Spiritual Landscape: A Life in Film.” Ms. Whitney’s visit to Dixie is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

During her visit to campus, Whitney will take part in several lectures with Dixie State students and faculty in DSC’s English and Humanities departments. Whitney will conclude her visit to Dixie State with special free public lecture on Friday, October 19th, at 5:30 p.m., in the Zion Room (5th floor) of the new Jeffrey R. Holland Centennial Commons. A reception will precede the lecture beginning at 5 p.m. Admission is free for all community members, DSC students, and faculty and staff for both campus events.

Whitney will share her thoughts on spirituality in her public lecture entitled “A Spiritual Landscape,” highlighting of two of her films, including her most recent film “Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate,” and “The Mormons.”

“Forgiveness: A Time to Love and a Time to Hate,” which debuted on PBS in April of 2011, examined the power, limitations - and in rare cases - the dangers of forgiveness through emblematic stories, ranging from personal betrayal to international truth and reconciliation commissions. “The Mormons,” a four-hour exploration into the richness, the complexities and the controversies of the Mormons' story as told through interviews with members of the church, leading writers and historians, and supporters and critics of the Mormon faith.

“We are honored to have a filmmaker of Helen’s caliber on our campus,” said Christina Schultz, DSC Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Cultural Arts. “Helen’s ability to delve into the various aspects of the religious experience and her fascination with people’s educational lives makes her an inspiring filmmaker and lecturer.”

Whitney has been writing, producing and directing films for nearly 40 years. Her documentaries have received many awards and honors, including an Emmy Award, a Peabody Award, an Oscar nomination, the Humanitas Award and the prestigious duPont-Columbia Journalism Award.

Her documentary work has appeared on ABC's "Closeup" and PBS's “American Masters,” as well as on PBS’s “FRONTLINE.” Whitney’s documentaries have ranged over a wide variety of subjects, among them: youth gangs, presidential candidates, the mentally ill, a Trappist Monastery, Pope John Paul II, the class structure of Great Britain, homosexuals, and the photographer Richard Avedon. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Whitney produced “Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero”, a two-hour documentary that examined how the religious beliefs of Americans were challenged and altered by the spiritual aftershocks of 9/11.

For further information on Ms. Whitney’s visit, please contact DSC Vice President of Advancement Christina Schultz at 435-652-7542, or DSC Associate Professor of English Dr. Tim Bywater at 435-652-7808.