Noah's Art

In the superior documentary and Slamdance hit, Children of God: Lost and Found, director Noah Thomson, who grew up in the controversial Christian cult called the Family, finds some of the other young people who made their escape, and goes in search of his mother, who is still a member. Thomson's journey, like a beautiful travelogue, takes him to Mexico and South America and to the abandoned Brazilian commune where he was born and raised in a community rife with abuse. The LA Times calls the film "a documentary of emotion" that "burns with the deep desire for mother love." Children of God premieres tonight at 7PM on Cinemax.

An Invitation

Children of God: Lost and Found, the film that caused somewhat of a firestorm of controversy at Sundance earlier this year, is coming to a theater near you. If you live in the Los Angeles area, that is. At the ArcLight in LA on August 23, AFI will host the LA premiere of Noah Thomson's film about tracing the roots of the Children of God cult he was born into. Purchase tickets here or here for the screening, which includes a hosted reception and Q&A with Thomson following the screening.

Years of Therapy Ahead?

Former Mad TV cast member Nicole Sullivan and her baby Daniel, born May 12. Daddy is actor Jason Packham. Is he called Packs? (Photo via Celebs and Bubs)

Snap!

The Children of God team the night before the Main Street melee in Park City. (Photo by David Steinberg, who's actually in the picture wearing a laminate.)

One-Cent Post

Straight outta Slamdance: Read a review of Children of God that calls the film (blurb alert!) "A haunting, rigorous exploration of youth in exile."

Child's Play

What we posted the other day, Page Six and Cinematical via Variety report today: that members of the Children of God cult, now called The Family, infiltrated the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, in an attempt to do damage control while Noah Thomson's terrific documentary about the evangelical Christian group, Children of God: Lost & Found, was being screened. A cult member was caught secretly taping a post-screening Q&A, and fled the theater with the film's producers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato in hot pursuit. Police got involved.

"The filmmakers say some members of the cult, accused of advocating indiscriminate sex, want to discredit the film," says Page Six, and on the cult's pretty website, The Prophet Bus, blogged from Park City, they mention talking to "a group of documentary producers who use the art of editing to distort the truth." And the caption to the photo here of a group member walking alongside Fenton Bailey is "Devon on Main St, telling a filmmaker about God's love. Unfortunately, not everyone was receptive to the truth." The truth is, though, that all this brouhaha can only increase interest in the film. And has.

What Happened Was

Here's Fox News' Roger Friedman's account of the heated goings-on at Slamdance during and after yesterday's screening of Children of God, WOW's gripping documentary directed by Noah Thomson:

Last night, the Park City police were called to a screening of a movie at Slamdance, the alternate film festival on Main Street. The reason? Members of "The Family," a Christian cult, caused trouble at a screening of an HBO film called "Children of God." The documentary, directed by former member Noah Thomson, alleges child molestation at the hands of cult leaders. Thomson says he was one of those children. Another former member was in the audience last night as well, co-producer Fenton Bailey says.

But things got dicey during the Q&A session that followed last night’s screening. A young woman stood up and began screaming that no molestations had ever occurred. On closer inspection, it was revealed that she had a microphone pack on and “was transmitting to a camera outside,” Bailey says. “There was a fear that she had taped the whole movie.” The police were called and the woman was followed. An audio tape she’d made was produced. “She’d taped at least the whole Q&A,” says Bailey, who presumably will add security to future screenings. “Children of God” will air on HBO sometime this year.

Overheard

At the Park City WireImage photo gallery at Sundance, Davida, the adopted daughter of the Children of God founder David Berg, raved to Tara Reid, "I loved you in Taradise." Reid, barely exhibiting a smile, was not amused.

One-Cent Post

Overheard on Main Street at Sundance about Children of God: "It's City of God meets Children of Men."

5ive Questions for Noah Thomson

Noah Thomson is the director of Children of God: Lost & Found, a documentary that will be in competition at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park Slope, Utah. Screenings are at the Treasure Mountain Inn: Sunday at 6PM in the Main Theater and Tuesday at 4:30PM in the Gallery Theater.

1. What's the one thing you miss about being in the Children of God commune?
Free love.

2. If you started your own cult, what would you call it?
Cool Aide.

3. Your day job is providing craft services on the set of The Sopranos. Is it pretty much pasta everyday?
If you know what's good for you.

4. Beatles or Stones?
Beatles.

5. What do you drive and what's currently in the CD player?
I drive a pickup with a six-CD changer. I'm listening to the Flaming Lips and the sound of animals fighting.

The Screening of America

Good news! The WOW feature documentary, Children of God: Lost and Found, has been accepted for competition at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, in January, screening on the 21st and 23rd. Directed by first-timer Noah Thomson, it's his first-person account of growing up in the evangelical cult and his search for others who made it out alive. It was edited by Mike Rysavy who, as talent and hard work would have it, has another WOW movie he edited screening at that other Park City festival, Sundance. Miss Navajo was written and directed by Billy Luther, who got the idea to shed some light on the annual Miss Navajo Nation Pageant from his mother, who won the crown in 1966. Fans of absorbing docs will be spending extra time on the Park City shuttle.