New Documentary on Bruce Lee’s Philosophy Explores Lee’s Ability to Unite People

August 10, 2020

Belfast, Northern Ireland – A new documentary was recently released documenting an unprecedented series of lectures on the philosophy of Bruce Lee. Building the Bridge: The 2000 Bruce Lee Philosophy Lectures in Ireland is now available to view for free on YouTube.

The lectures, which took place during September 2000 at Queen’s University and Trinity College in Ireland, focused on Bruce Lee’s philosophical ideas and his ability to inspire and unite people around the world.

Martin O’Neill, a senior social worker from Northern Ireland and a martial arts instructor, was the organizer of the lecture series and also served as a co-producer on the new film. O’Neill experienced success using Bruce Lee’s martial art and philosophy to unite Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, which proved the catalyst for the lectures. "I wanted to give Bruce Lee's philosophy an opportunity to reach out to my students and also non-martial artists in Ireland,” said O’Neill. “Everyone has heard of Bruce Lee, his striking cinematic stardom has made him known the world over. However, during the past few years, the publicity of his writings illustrated that Bruce Lee was much more than a martial artist.”

James Bishop, Ph.D., an expert on the subject of giftedness and talent and the executive director of the Passionate Mind Institute, was one of the principal speakers of the event depicted in the film and is a co-producer of the new documentary. The idea for the documentary came to Dr. Bishop as a result of the global pandemic.

“I was invited to speak again about Bruce Lee this Summer in Dublin, but the talk was postponed due to the pandemic,” said Dr. Bishop. “It prompted me to reflect on the lectures two decades years ago and recall that I documented the entire series with a personal video camera. It occurred to me that I could take that footage and produce a documentary to honor the 20th anniversary of the event as well as do something special for the Bruce Lee fans.”

The film is available now to view on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwYrTZ5q03Q

About The Passionate Mind Institute: The Passionate Mind Institute was established in 2016 to educate the public on the social value and specific needs of gifted, creative, and artistic people in our society; to conduct research in the fields of giftedness, talent, and creativity; to promote community welfare and literacy; and to provide community outreach programs that encourage the development and exploration of individual talents.

The Passionate Mind Institute was established in 2016 to educate the public on the social value and specific needs of gifted, creative, and artistic people in our society; to conduct research in the fields of giftedness, talent, and creativity; to promote community welfare and literacy; and to provide community outreach programs that encourage the development and exploration of individual talents.