Disclaimer: as a member of the local media with press credentials to the Nashville Film Festival, I am sometimes approached by filmmakers seeking coverage. I felt that this poignant-seeming film fit well into my themes here of spirituality, aging, grief, loss, etc., and gladly agreed to share this with you. I received no compensation for this review. Please watch the comments section for info on an additional film.
This
surprisingly open and revealing documentary follows two years in the private
life of Rev. Marilyn Sewell and features the original song “Love Will Remain”,
written and performed by Sheryl Crow. Raw Faith is the first feature
length documentary for Director Peter Wiedensmith and was chosen as the 2010 Nashville Public Television Human Spirit Award, which is presented each
year by NPT to a Nashville Film Festival selection, acknowledging a filmmaker's work that best explores and captures the human
spirit. For more information visit www.rawfaith.com or http://www.facebook.com/rawfaith or to purchase tickets www.nashvillefilmfest.org. Raw Faith will premiere at NaFF with screenings on Fri., April 16 at 7:45 p.m. and Sun., April 18 at
3:45 p.m. at the Regal Green Hills Stadium 16, located at 3815 Green Hills
Village Drive.
Rev.
Sewell is successful and beloved in the pulpit, but behind the scenes she is
lonely and yearning for change. As she considers leaving the ministry, she
realizes she will be leaving her only social network. Yet when she falls in
love for the first time, she realizes she does not trust intimacy. A study in
contrasts, Marilyn must rely on raw faith as she questions her future, her
difficult past, her God and, most importantly, her ability to love.
During
Sewell’s tenure as senior minister of the First Unitarian Church of Portland,
the church grew from 625 members to 1,600, becoming one of the largest and most
esteemed UU churches in the nation. Sewell is one of only a handful of women to lead
a large church of any faith. A powerful speaker, she is widely sought out for
lectures and speeches.
The
longest-running film festival in the South, The Nashville Film Festival ranks
among the most prestigious, continually garnering accolades and notice from a
wide range of entertainment and trade publications, including the Associated
Press, The New York Times, The Wall
Street Journal online, MovieMaker Magazine, Film Festival Today, IndieWire,
Variety, Billboard, New York and Script
Magazine.
8: The Mormon Proposition (Reed Cowan, Steven Greenstreet, USA)
“8: The Mormon Proposition” exposes the efforts of the Mormon Church and its members to halt nearly every piece of LGBT legislation on the desks of lawmakers from Hawaii to New York. Emmy-award winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Reed Cowan is a former Mormon, which, coupled with his OUT status as a gay man and father of two adopted sons has provided a compelling and at times shocking look at the Mormon way of doing business against LGBT people. More: nafftv.com/2010/03/naff10-trailer-8-the-mormon-proposition/
For showtimes and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.NashvilleFilmFestival.org.
Those links did not show up. They are supposed to auto-link. One more try:
More: nafftv.com/2010/03/naff10-trailer-8-the-mormon-proposition/
For showtimes and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.NashvilleFilmFestival.org.
I was pleased with the number of positive comments Monday’s post received: http://leisahammett.typepad.com/the_journey_with_grace/2010/04/the-preacher-in-pink-pants-and-the-message-i-cannot-buy.html
The blogosphere is an intriguing “being.” One of the gifts are the “relationships” formed between bloggers, and I have such a post swirling about in the ethers of my noodle.
A lovely blogger in Utah who writes a most positive blog (http://www.ayearofhappy.com/)with striking photos (that’s how we met–http://traceyclark.squarespace.com/blog/2010/2/28/when-kindness-comes.html#comments)was one of the positive commenters on Monday’s post.
We exchanged a dialogue about it and I questioned her about her Mormon faith bc I was a little surprised she agreed with most of what I wrote. As an afterthought, I sent an additional email that I just wanted to let her know that I already had in the works to promote the above film, The Mormon Proposition. She replied with the following link. I’m linking it here in the interest of sharing information…or I could say…sharing “both sides.”
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-divine-institution-of-marriage
Now, no one shoot the messenger here! 😉
Another film to check out– SENTENCED FOR LIFE: CYNTOIA’S STORY, about a Nashville teen sentence to life.
This free documentary screening is Saturday, 4/17, 4 p.m. at Regal Green Hills during the film fest.
Nashville Scene’s review here: http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/sentenced-for-life-cyntoias-story/Content?oid=1500543
Raw Faith is a beautiful movie. I feel so blessed to have seen the world premiere of it last night. Sheryl Crowe was in the audience, as she wrote a special song for the movie. Pictures coming. I’ll be writing more about this film as I want to encourage people to see it in Nashville Sunday at 3:45 and then on PBS nationally. It is a story of love found late in life, of intense personal reflection and growth and a beautiful, vulnerable, open spiritual journey. WHAT A GIFT this movie!
Also may see after my book signing today 12-2, Whole Body, “For Once in My Life,” about a Goodwill band. 2:15.
“For Once in My Life” was inspiring. Along with RawFaith, as it eventually runs on PBS, I also plan to promote this film here as I am informed and able. I do know “For Once in My Life,” is headed, at some point, to Indianapolis for their film festival.
Opened my Twitter today (since I don’t get tweets intravenously through a crackberry,) and found this message. That’s me…in the same sentence as Sheryl Crowe, below, ya’ll. Jus’ sayin’. Being a respectable Nashvillian, I did not clamor to take her picture, meet her, etc., but I did get a photo of her with Marilyn Sewell and George Crandall of Raw Faith. Now to figure out how to post a photo on Facebook. Dang.
“We feel the love @Nashfilmfest Thank you @MelissaMonty @LeisaHammett @SherylSCrow @SuperNewsTeam @BetterNashville @JMNashville”
Congratulations! “For Once in My Life” was tied for The Documentary Channel Audience Award at NaFF!
Also, “For Once in My Life” won the Gibson Impact Music Award.