Prop 8 Movie Critical Of LDS Church Greeted With Applause In Utah

[Hissyspit]

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14260222

Prop 8 movie critical of LDS Church greeted with applause

Controversy » One viewer accused the filmmaker of making a propaganda tract.

By Sean P. Means
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 01/24/2010 07:38:34 PM MST

Park City » It may be the friendliest audience Reed Cowan will get in Utah.

Cowan received two sustained standing ovations Sunday for his documentary "8: The Mormon Proposition," which harshly criticizes the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for its campaigning for California's ban on same-sex marriage, from the 600-strong audience attending the film's world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Some in the audience cried when hearing stories of gay men and lesbians recounting discrimination they have suffered. Others hissed when Utah Eagle Forum president Gayle Ruzicka appeared on-screen, or when State Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, appeared to declare homosexuality "the greatest threat to America going down."

Mostly, though, they applauded and cheered Cowan's film for presenting evidence of the LDS Church's work to convince its members to donate money to the campaign for California's anti-gay Proposition 8 -- and to hide the church's involvement, which would have dissuaded voters, through front organizations.
Outside the Racquet Club Theatre, about two dozen gay-rights supporters staged a mini-rally. A rumored protest against the film never materialized.

- snip -

"The Mormon Church won this battle," said one man in the audience, "but they're going to lose this war."

Opinion in the audience was not unanimous. One viewer, who identified himself as voting for Proposition 8, accused Cowan of making a propaganda tract. He criticized the use of ominous music playing under audio of a satellite message in which three LDS apostles issued a call to action to church members. The entire LDS Church hour-long satellite broadcast never has been made public before now, the movie said.

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[TexasObserver]

1. Recommend

[IDemo]

2. "the greatest threat to America going down."

:rofl:

[donco6]

4. Well, I guess he has a point.

But he makes it sound like a *bad* thing.

[gratuitous]

3. Oh noes! A documentary with a point of view!

Tell the Prop 8 supporter who thought it was a propaganda tract to shaddap. Don't be a sore winner. Unless, of course, he strongly suspects that he's on the winning side for the wrong reasons.

[BlueIdaho]

5. Good News

Now that corporations have free speech rights - maybe a progressive corporation could bankroll a broadcast of the documentary film on TV!

[xchrom]

6. Recommend -- love the image of America going down.

How timely.

[customerserviceguy]

7. This is Park City

It's the one little island of sanity in Utah, unless you count SLC itself, which is not as Mormon as you might think.