God Loves Uganda is a 2013 American documentary film produced and directed by Roger Ross Williams, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.[1][2] It explores connections between evangelicalism in North America and in Uganda, suggesting that the North American influence is the reason behind the controversial Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act, which at one point raised the possibility of the death penalty for gays and lesbians. The filmmakers follow a group of young missionaries from the International House of Prayer in their first missionary effort in another nation, as well as interviewing several evangelical leaders from the US and Uganda.
| God Loves Uganda | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Roger Ross Williams |
| Produced by | Roger Ross Williams Julie Goldman |
| Starring | Lou Engle Jonathan Hall Rev. Kapya Kaoma Rev. Robert Kayanja Rev. Jo Anna Watson Jesse & Rachelle Digges Bishop Christopher Senyonjo Rev. Martin Ssempa Scott Lively |
| Cinematography | Derek Wiesehahn |
| Edited by | Richard Hankin (supervising editor) Benjamin Gray |
| Music by | Mark degli Antoni |
| Distributed by | Variance Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Williams was inspired to make God Loves Uganda when he met David Kato, an LGBT activist who was killed in 2011, ostensibly in a robbery. Kato told there was an untold story of the damage American fundamentalist evangelicals are doing in Uganda; of the insidious nature of their aggressive effort to harvest young, unclaimed souls to preach a gospel of love intertwined with a gospel of intolerance.[3]
The Dutch premiere of the film was at the Movies that Matter Film Festival in The Netherlands in 2014.[4]
Reception
editIn late May 2014, the film aired on several PBS stations in the United States as part of the Independent Lens series. In response, the International House of Prayer issued a God Loves Uganda FAQ on their website which responds to a number of the issues raised in the documentary. Website Right Wing Watch subsequently criticized this response.[5]
Critical reception
editJoe Mirabella at The Huffington Post described it as the "most terrifying film of the year"; Tim Wu at Slate and Bill Blezek at the Omaha World-Herald described the film as "disturbing".[6][7][8] On the other hand, John G. Stackhouse Jr. of Christianity Today criticized the film for "evangelophobia" and trading in "propaganda", likening the film to the 2006 film Jesus Camp.[9] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 29 reviews, and an average rating of 7.67/10.[10]
Awards
editGod Loves Uganda has won the following awards:
- Full Frame Inspiration Award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival[11]
- Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2013 Dallas International Film Festival[12]
- Best Feature Length Documentary at the Ashland Independent Film Festival[13]
- Audience Award Documentary at the Mountain Film Festival[14]
- Best Overall Documentary at the DocuWest Film Festival[15]
- Sheffield Youth Jury Award at the Sheffield Doc/Fest[16]
- Grand Jury Pink Peach Feature at the Atlanta Film Festival[17]
- Jury Award for Documentary Feature at the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival[18]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Zaimov, Stoyan (January 25, 2013). "'God Loves Uganda' Film Exposes 'Violent' Evangelical Movement Targeting Gays?". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ Greenberg, James (January 25, 2013). "God Loves Uganda: Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ Moloshco, Carolyn (March 2014). "'God Loves Uganda' Reveals American Evangelicals Spreading Gay Intolerance. Academy Award winning director tackles abuse of religious power". Palm Springs Life. Archived from the original on 2014-04-30. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
- ^ "God Loves Uganda - Roger Ross Williams". Movies that Matter Film Festival. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019.
- ^ Peter Montgomery (21 May 2014). "In Response To Uganda Documentary, IHOP Says It's 'Not Involved' in Politics". Right Wing Watch. People for the American Way. Archived from the original on 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
- ^ Mirabella, Joe (January 23, 2013). "Joe Mirabella: God Loves Uganda, the Most Terrifying Film of the Year, Premieres at Sundance". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ Blizek, Bill (January 19, 2013). "The movies start playing". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ Wu, Tim (January 21, 2013). "God Loves Uganda shows how American Christians export homophobia". Slate. Archived from the original on 2013-02-05. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ John G. Stackhouse, Jr. (May 15, 2013). ""God Loves Uganda" - In a documentary along the lines of 'Jesus Camp,' who's demonizing whom?". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on 2013-11-17. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
- ^ "God Loves Uganda (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
- ^ "Full Frame Inspiration Award Archives". Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ Jones, Kimberley (April 13, 2013). "Dallas International Film Festival Announces Awardees". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ "Ashland Independent Film Festival". Ashland Independent Film Festival. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ "Previous Winners". Mountainfilm. 2014-11-28. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ "Winner at DocuWest!". God Loves Uganda. 2013-09-19. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ "Sheffield Doc/Fest: Sheffield International Documentary Festival". sheffdocfest.com. Archived from the original on 2018-06-16. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ "Orbitz partners with ATLFF to present Pink Peach competition". Atlanta Film Festival. Retrieved 2020-01-16.
- ^ "Previous Winners of the Tampa Bay International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Awards". TIGLFF. Archived from the original on 2021-08-14. Retrieved 2020-01-16.