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Love the Sinner

A film by Jessica Devaney, Geeta Gandbhir

US | 2017 | 17 minutes | Color | DVD | Order No. 171212

LOVE THE SINNER is a personal documentary exploring the connection between Christianity and homophobia in the wake of the 2016 shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

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SYNOPSIS

LOVE THE SINNER is a personal documentary exploring the connection between Christianity and homophobia in the wake of the 2016 shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

Queer filmmaker Jessica Devaney grew up deeply immersed in Evangelical Christianity in Florida. After breaking with her youth as a nationally recognized activist and leader among conservative Evangelicals, Jessica left Florida and didn’t look back. She built a life that took her as far away from home as possible. Over time, her daily life became a progressive echo chamber.

The mass shooting at Pulse was a wakeup call. By avoiding hard conversations with church leadership, had she missed opportunities to challenge homophobia?

LOVE THE SINNER probes our responsibility to face bias in our communities and push for dignity and equality for all.

PRESS

"...a powerful short documentary."

The Advocate

"By capturing the milieu of small-town, mega-church Florida and questioning the connection between faith-based homophobia and violence, [the film] brings forth a compelling dialectic that challenges what it means to really love thy neighbor as thyself."

NBC OUT

"A welcome addition to the broader cultural conversation."

Christianity Today

"This film is short…. but it packs the punch of a full-length feature."

Edge Media Network

SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS

  • Winston-Salem Out at the Movies Film Fest, Jury Award, Best Short
  • Orlando Film Festival, Social Awareness Award
  • Best Short Documentary, Carmarthen Bay Film Festival
  • Provincetown International Film Festival
  • Newport Beach Film Festival
  • OutFest Los Angeles
  • Tribeca Film Festival
  • Cinema Q Film Festival
  • Palm Springs International ShortFest
  • Washington West Film Festival

ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)

Jessica Devaney

JESSICA DEVANEY is a Brooklyn-based producer and the founder of Multitude Films. She recently produced THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED (Tribeca 2018), dubbed "a real-world conspiracy thriller" by Variety, as well as ROLL RED ROLL (Tribeca 2018), which The Hollywood Reporter named "essential viewing." She also produced the Critic’s Choice-nominated SPEED SISTERS (Hot Docs 2015), which The New York Times called "subtly rebellious and defiantly optimistic" and OUT AGAIN (Outfest 2017) for Refinery29’s Shatterbox Anthology. Jessica’s directorial debut short, LOVE THE SINNER (Tribeca 2017) was a Sojourners Editors’ Pick and PFLAG called it "stunning and pertinent." Additional credits include CALL HER GANDA (Tribeca 2018), NAILA & THE UPRISING (IDFA 2017), Peabody Award-winning MY NEIGHBOURHOOD (Tribeca 2012), and Ridenhour Prize-winning BUDRUS (Tribeca 2010). Jessica co-founded the Queer Producers Collective, produced Doc Society’s Queer Impact Producers Lab, and was a Sundance Edit and Story Lab Fellow and Women at Sundance Fellow. (03/19)

Geeta Gandbhir

Geeta Gandbhir has been nominated for three Emmy Awards and has won two. As editor, films have been nominated twice for the Academy Award, winning once, and have also won three Peabody Awards. Most recently, a feature documentary she produced with Perri Peltz and directed with Academy Award Winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, A Journey of A Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. She is currently co-directing and co-producing a Conversation series on race with The New York Times Op-Docs, and she co-directed and edited the film, Remembering the Artist, Robert De Niro, Sr. with Perri Peltz for HBO. Additional notable works as an editor include, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley for HBO, which was nominated for an Emmy, When the Levees Broke, By the People: The Election of Barack Obama, Music By Prudence, Budrus, If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise, and God is the Bigger Elvis which was nominated for the 2012 Academy Awards. Her film, Which Way is the Front Line From Here? With author and Academy Award nominated director Sebastian Junger was nominated for the 2014 News and Doc Emmys. (08/17)

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