This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Spirous (talk | contribs) at 21:46, 5 March 2007 (Removed reference to filming in Norway which is wrong. IMDb.com has been informed, who was linked as reference.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 21:46, 5 March 2007 by Spirous (talk | contribs) (Removed reference to filming in Norway which is wrong. IMDb.com has been informed, who was linked as reference.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) 2006 Norwegian film| The Bridge | |
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 The first feature length film about Scientology | |
| Directed by | Brett Hanover |
| Written by | Brett Hanover |
| Produced by | Tom Padgett |
| Starring | Carole Smith, Dianne Wheat, volunteer Scientologist Bill Baker, Scientology leader Tom Padgett, Richard Grey, father |
| Distributed by | free-media online release |
| Release date | September 2006 |
| Running time | 69 minutes |
| Country | Norway |
| Language | English |
| Budget | USD$Unknown |
The Bridge is a 69-minute low-budget film, directed by 18-year-old filmmaker Brett Hanover.
The film is a fictional story of involvement and disillusionment with Scientology. The film explicitly uses Scientology terms throughout, going so far as including actual clips from official Scientology promotional and training materials. It was released as a free download over the internet in September 2006 by the filmmaker.
Former Scientologists were involved in the production of the film.
Screening
The film premièred at Operation Clambake 10 year anniversary in Norway September 2 2006 and was shown at the 9th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival, in October 2006:
The venue allowed Brett Hanover, an 18-year-old college student studying film, to screen a new movie he's produced about the Church of Scientology called "The Bridge." This year will be his second time participating in the festival.
"It's definitely the hometown festival," he said. "In a way, it's sort of limiting as far as what gets seen, but for me and other local filmmakers it's an extremely important resource for getting your films out there and serving as a springboard to go elsewhere."
The film aired on October 16, 2006 as a feature presentation.
Director removes film from distribution
Within a few weeks of its release, Hanover removed The Bridge from its public distribution sites. He posted the following message on his website:
'The Bridge' was a narrative feature which I directed in 2006. Due to copyright issues, I have asked that this film be removed from circulation. Please do not contact me regarding this production.
Despite Hanover's request, digital copies of the film continue to circulate on the internet. The removal of this film from the internet was reported on by Jeanette Walls in an MSNBC gossip column.
External links
- Official site
- Media
- "The Scoop", Jeanette Walls, Oct 30, 2006.
- Scientology Pressures Film Maker, AssociatedContent, The People's Media Company, October 13, 2006.
- Reviews
- Review, The High Weirdness Project
- Review, AssociatedContent, The People's Media Company.
- Review, Phyllis Stein Dishes Out, 11/05/2006
- Other
- 2000 Leo J. Ryan Foundation Conference, associate producer Tom Padgett speaks
- The Bridge Movie can be seen here
See Also
- List of Scientology references in popular culture
- The Friend of Mankind
- The Profit
- Trapped in the Closet (South Park)
References
- Film Credits: The Bridge' is licensed as royalty-free digital media, and may be distributed online for personal viewing without permission. All offline distribution rights are reserved by Brett Hanover.
- Festival Highlights, Memphis Flyer, Flyer Staff, October 12, 2006.
The Bridge, Hometowner Feature, Monday, October 16th, 8:45 p.m. This locally produced feature directed by Brett Hanover uses materials created by the Church of Scientology and stories told by former members of L. Ron Hubbard's controversial sci-fi religion to build a tragic narrative about misplaced faith and insidious fraud. Scientologists will hate it. People who hate Scientologists won't like it nearly as much as the Tom Cruise episode of South Park. -- CD - Operation Clambake 10 year anniversary discussion board
- Annual indie festival strives to set itself apart, The Daily News, Memphis, Tennessee, Andy Meek, Vol. 121, No. 191, September 28, 2006.
- 2006 Film Schedule, Indie Memphis, "Soul of Southern Film Festival, October 13-19, 2006.
- "BrettHanover.com".
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|accessmonthday=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - "The Scoop", Jeanette Walls, Oct 30, 2006. Speculation by Mark Bunker on why the film was removed from the internet.