Velcrow Ripper

Who is Velcrow Ripper?

Velcrow Ripper is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, writer, and public speaker, best known for his Genie Award-winning 2006 film Scared Sacred and his newest feature documentary, Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action. His 1995 feature documentary, Bones of the Forest, won twelve major awards, including a Genie Award, and Best of the Festival at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. Many of his films examine the intersection of spirituality and politics.

He has also been a contributor to ascent and Shambhala Sun magazines, which explore similar issues. His writing has also appeared in the anthologies, We are Everywhere and Dam Nation.

He is a co-founder of the Gulf Islands Film and Television School, and has taught film at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, and at the Ontario College of Art and Design. He also teaches workshops and lectures on the themes of spirituality and activism.

Born Steve Ripper, he was raised in British Columbia as a Baha'i. He later adopted the nickname Velcrow while participating in punk rock culture in his youth.

He currently lives on Toronto Island.