INDEPENDENT WORKS:
 Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton
Award-winning producer Morgan Atkinson spent years researching Merton’s work, as well as interviewing Merton friends, scholars and authorities on the spiritual life. Atkinson’s cameras reveal life at the Abbey of Gethsemani, Merton’s home of 27 years, as well as Merton’s path in New York City, Redwoods Monastery (California) and Christ in the Desert Monastery (New Mexico). The picture that emerges from Atkinson’s study provides provocative insights into the interior landscape of one of the spiritual giants of modern times while capturing the haunting physical beauty of the geography that both nurtured and shaped Merton.
This documentary goes to the heart of Merton's spiritual journey.
Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton
Available on DVD, for $25 plus $5 for shipping.
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 The Poetry of a Soul: A Monk's Story
Matthew Kelty is a Trappist monk. The Trappists are a religious group known for silence, prayer, labor and isolation from the world. Now, at 89, Matthew still works hard and certainly prays, but he also talks a lot, laughs just as much and as the guest house chaplain at the Abbey of Gethsemani is very much in touch with the world. In his long life he has been a hermit, a lover of motorcycles, Thomas Merton’s confessor, a missionary and most importantly a man seeking to grow ever deeper in his relationship with God.
This program looks at the spiritual journey of Matthew Kelty and the wisdom he has gained along the way. His words, coupled with remarkable scenes of monastic life inspire, inform and enlighten.
The Poetry of a Soul: A Monk's Story
Available on DVD, for $18 plus $5 for shipping.
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 Time in the Garden
This remarkable program captures life at the Abbey of Gethsemani as it's rarely been seen before. While exploring the stark splendor of America's oldest Trappist monastery the cameras also reveal how this former home of Thomas Merton continues to build on its legacy as a center for spiritual renewal and peace. This revised version is twelve minutes long and features scenes from Merton's Hermitage, the Easter vigil, the wit and wisdom of Father Matthew Kelty and four seasons of natural beauty surrounding the Abbey. Time in the Garden is a meditation on a way of life reaching back to the third century.
Time in the Garden
Available on VHS tape or DVD, either sells for $12 plus $5 for shipping. Please designate your choice in the message to seller at time of checkout.
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 The Abbey of Gethsemani
Why does a community of Roman-Catholic monks located in rural Kentucky annually attract thousands of visitors from around the world? What does the enduring stature of the Abbey of Gethsemani say about the state of our culture today? These are the questions Atkinson has spent more than a year behind the walls of Gethsemani considering. Granted remarkable access by the monks, he and his crew have observed four seasons in the life of one of the world’s most renowned spiritual centers. Atkinson has found that while many are drawn by the legacy of the monastery’s most famous citizen, Thomas Merton, Gethsemani’s call runs deeper than the remarkable life of one man. By looking into Gethsemani’s unique physical and spiritual environment, viewers gain an unparalleled vantage point to a place Merton once called "the center of the universe."
This documentary is the full-length realization of "A Time in the Garden" executed in the more traditional narrative style, including interviews with resident monks and visitors on retreat. It will soon be aired on public television.
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 Local
Hero (a work in progress)
A look at the enduring power of rock-and-roll, the fickleness of celebrity and the predicament of the artist, this documentary examines the career of Louisville musician Tim Krekel. From his early days as lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffett to his current role as a celebrated singer/songwriter, Atkinson follows of the development of Krekel’s craft while showing the struggle of sustaining a life in music. Club scenes and studio time, on the road and at home, interviews with Krekel, the band, his family and friends explore the alluring romance of rock-and-roll. Atkinson will continue shooting with the release of Krekel’s new album, Happy Town, with a wrap date set for Summer 2003.
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 METRO (a work in progress)
Metro is a work-in-progress that presents a portrait of Kentucky's largest community as its city and county governments are merged. The program considers this shotgun wedding and asks-- for a notably fragmented community such as Louisville what are the political and social ramifications of a metro government? Using traditional documentary narrative technique "Metro" will answer the question by showing how the merger is affecting specific individuals/ institutions that are representative of the overall community.
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 A
Way of Life, 1999, BetaSP, 88 min
Featured on KET (Kentucky’s PBS affiliate) 1999 and 2000, and in the Louisville Film & Video Festival 2000. Winner of the 2000 CINE Golden Eagle Award.
In Kentucky it seems that high-school basketball touches everyone and everything. A player’s future, a school’s reputation, a town’s self-image can all depend on a game. This documentary looks at a fascinating cross-section of people, hopes and dreams, focusing on one unforgettable season in which the meaning of basketball for Kentuckians is brought vividly to life. By following two teams – one urban and one rural – Atkinson examines their obvious differences, as well as their touching similarities, and reveals something more about the state of Kentucky.
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Way of Life
Available on VHS tape or DVD, either sells for $12 plus $5 for shipping. Please designate your choice in the message to seller at time of checkout.
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Pain in the Innards, 1998, BetaSP, 50 min
Featured on KET (Kentucky’s PBS affiliate) in 1998, and in the Louisville Film & Video Festival 1998.
This program takes the viewer inside several events that define a mid-American community (Louisville, KY) in the 1990s, from a campaign for gay rights to an incident of violence in the workplace resulting in multiple deaths and leaving many wounded. Atkinson addresses the upheaval in societal values that has occurred over the past 40 years with a rawness that lends a distinctly personal tone to the subject matter, producing an affecting piece of work.
 Falls
City, 1994, BetaSP, 50 min
Featured on KET (Kentucky’s PBS affiliate), 1994 and 1995. Winner of the Silver Apple award at the National Educational Film & Video Festival, 1995.
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documentary examining the short bittersweet life of the Louisville
Falls Fountain, once ballyhooed as the symbol of the city
and the equal of the St. Louis Arch. The fountain endured
much public criticism during its day and was finally sold
for scrap metal. Through interviews with native Louisvillians,
city officials and out-of-towners, as well as historical footage
of the fountain itself, Atkinson gives the viewer a tragicomic
look at what happens when a community decides to create a
world-class landmark.
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Change in Order, 1988, BetaSP, 30 min
Featured on KET (Kentucky’s PBS affiliate), 1988.
Focusing on a group of Roman-Catholic nuns based in Louisville, KY, this documentary shows their efforts to continue making meaningful contributions to society amidst dwindling membership and dramatic changes in their way of life.
TOM
OWEN’S LOUISVILLE SERIES:
 Dr. Tom Owen, historian and Pied Piper of Louisville, captures the essence of the city with walking tours that are lively, funny, poignant and informative.
St. James & Environs, 2001, BetaSP, 58 min
A Victorian neighborhood comes to life as Tom Owen explores the homes, statues, fountains and gardens of St. James Court, Belgravia and Central Park. Old Louisville’s grand architecture reveals the story of a city’s vibrant past.
City Center Walk, 2000, BetaSP, 58 min
Re-discover the collection of public buildings, monuments and memorials in the heart of Louisville. Tom Owen weaves memorable tales that expose the strength, humor, irony and tragedy that shaped Louisville’s history.
Historic West Main Street, 1999, BetaSP, 58 min
Since pioneer times, Main Street has been the center of much of Louisville's history. Get a full perspective on Louisville's many triumphs and occasional follies. If Tom Owen is leading the way, it’s got to be fun.
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Peaceworks
 A documentary covering an anti-nuclear protest-march which drew over a million people to New York City
COMMERCIAL PROJECTS:
 Glassworks
Winner of Silver Louie, Winner of CINE Golden Eagle Award, National Finalist in Vision Awards, 2002
A $12 million complex, Glassworks is expected to significantly impact Louisville’s tourism, as well as its urban identity, with an estimated 175,000 visitors a year. The purpose of this video is to educate viewers on this unique addition to Louisville’s cityscape. Including studios, restaurants, apartments and educational facilities, Glassworks is "a smart mix of historic preservation, urban vision, market savvy and interesting aesthetic decisions" (Diane Heilenman, Courier-Journal). Located downtown on West Main Street, this multi-purpose structure is open daily for tours and information, including the viewing of this video. Atkinson and Glassworks will collaborate on future educational videos geared toward school children, as well as a video documenting the National Glass Art Festival to be held in Louisville in 2003.
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