Big Love for Mormons at STF

• by Thom Powers, May 01, 2010

Last week at STF, CLEANFLIX co-director Andrew James took questions about his documentary (made with Joshua Ligairi) examining Mormon video stores that re-edit Hollywood movies for objectionable content without consent from the makers. The co-directors were both raised within the Mormon church. James has since left while Ligairi remains a member. James said that duality brought a healthy balance in the edit room.

Given that the Mormon censors had to expose themselves to forbidden imagery - such as Kate Winslet’s naked breasts in TITANTIC - to do their job, how did they justify that?, I asked. “They were taking one for the team,” said James. He explained that ultra-conservative Mormons refused to rent “cleaned up” films since the process entailed this corrupting influence.

An audience member who identified himself as Mormon praised the film for giving a well-rounded portrayal to a culture that’s often mischaracterized. James said he wanted to dispel mythology around the religion, adding, “if you’ve met a Republican, you’ve met a Mormon.”

(Photo courtesy of EJ / Bear)

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