Project Detail

My Scientology Movie

Synopsis

"I find that the most inexplicable behavior is motivated by very relatable human impulses," comments Louis Theroux as he heads to Los Angeles for this feature documentary, in collaboration with director John Dower and producer Simon Chinn, exploring the Church of Scientology. Following a long fascination with the religion and with much experience in dealing with eccentric, unpalatable and unexpected human behavior, the beguilingly unassuming Theroux won’t take no for an answer when his request to enter the Church’s headquarters is turned down. Inspired by the Church’s use of filming techniques, and aided by ex-members of the organisation, Theroux uses actors to replay some incidents people claim they experienced as members in an attempt to better understand the way it operates. In a bizarre twist, it becomes clear that the Church is also making a film about Louis Theroux. Suffused with a good dose of humour and moments worthy of a Hollywood script, this true life film is stranger than fiction.
Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2015 - Dare Strand - World premiere

Details

Year: 2015
Type of film: Features
Running time: 99 mins
Director: John Dower
Producer: Simon Chinn
Executive Producer: Christin Langan, Stephen McDonogh, Charlotte Moore, Joe Oppenheimer, Mark Reynolds
Editor: Paul Carlin
Screenwriter: John Dower, Louis Theroux
Director of Photography: Will Pugh
Production Designer: Alessandro Marvelli
Composer: Dan Jones

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

UK, US coproduction

Red Box Films

10 Amwell Street
London
EC1R 1 UQ

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Sales Company

c/o Red Box Films

10 Amwell Street
London
EC1R 1 UQ

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On November 24, 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper, wearing a black suit and raincoat, carrying only a briefcase, walked up to the Northwest Orient desk at Portland Airport and bought a $20 one-way ticket to Seattle. Once on the plane he handed a note to a stewardess saying he has a bomb in his briefcase and demanding that a selection of parachutes and a briefcase containing $200K in cash are brought to him as soon as the plane lands in Seattle. The FBI hastily gather the ransom and parachutes then drive onto the tarmac at Seattle airport to meet the plane. Cooper allows the passengers to go free and instructs the plane to take off again. A half-hour later, somewhere over Washington State, Cooper jumps. He is never seen again. Within hours, the FBI embarks on the largest search operation in its history, using spy-planes, helicopters, submarines and speedboats. They draft in hundreds of soldiers and recreate the exact flight path and jump site. Despite this, Cooper is not found. Over the years, Cooper’s identity has always remained out of reach. But 46 years later, the search has been narrowed down to four compelling suspects.

Slaying the Badger

Director: John Dower

Year: 2014

In a pre-doping cycling era, years before the emergence of Lance Armstrong, the American Greg LeMond was recruited as a teenager to the French Renault team, where he developed a close friendship with Bernard "The Badger" Hinault. They traveled the world together, but their camaraderie was soon to turn to enmity. In "an individual sport practiced by teams", LeMond was forced to play loyal lieutenant to the leader Hinault in 1985, despite being the more capable rider that summer. Hinault promised to repay him the following year – his brazen retraction of that promise still astonishes LeMond and his wife nearly thirty years on. Speaking to all the major players, where emotions still run high, 'Slaying the Badger' dissects the fascinating complexities of professional cycling.

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