Prop 8 Movie Exposes Mormon Meddling
Reed Cowan used to be a Mormon missionary, with, he says, "knowledge of Mormon strategy at the highest levels." Now he's an activist against the Mormon church, working to out what he sees as the Church's violation of civil rights against gays. When his documentary 8: The Morman Proposition premiered at Sundance earlier this year, he said in an interview, "What the Mormons did and what they continue to do against gay people needs to be a matter of record, because it is spiritually criminal." The film, narrated by Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, exposes the Church's role in funding and promoting the ballot initiative that banned gay marriage in California.
The film drew massive crowds at Sundance, but as is the case with most true indies, it remained unavailable to the general public post-Park City. Now a new distributor called Red Flag Releasing (a join venture of Paul Federbush and Laura Kim, both formerly of the now-shuttered Warner Independent) has announced that they're giving Cowan's film a relatively major release. On June 18, 8 will open in 13 markets (including LA, San Francisco, San Diego and Palm Springs), and will be available for rental simultaneously on video on demand.
In a press releases announcing the pact, Cowan said he made the film "for voters who deserve to see how money and misinformation can influence public policy...it's also important for youth in any church who often feel the sting of bigotry from the pulpit. There is a body-count of suicide and homelessness tied to such bigotry, and if this film can be a part of promoting life and liberty, it will have achieved its purpose."
There's more info on the film's official website.
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