Coming Nov. 1, 2022
I was really excited to see last week that a project I worked on over the summer is releasing on Hulu on November 1! While Hulu hasn’t posted their schedule for November online yet, it should be available soon. Variety posted a Hulu description in their press release about the film.
God Forbid: The Sex Scandal that Brought Down a Dynasty is a documentary about Jerry Falwell Jr, and his wife Becki. If you, like me, grew up Evangelical, the Falwell name truly is a dynasty. This family has made millions off of telling people how to live, through Liberty University and Thomas Road Baptist Church. Jerry Jr. made quite a name for himself not only when he took over Liberty after his famous father, but when he threw that dynastic power behind Donald Trump for the 2016 election.
That move is something that took many by surprise. How could Christians support Trump?! But, if you have been part of the Evangelical movement at any time in your life, you have likely watched this group become more and more interested in politics and power, and less and less interested in loving God and loving people. I only have my own personal experience to talk about here, but, if you want more on this, I canNOT recommend Kristen Kobes Du Mez’s book, Jesus and John Wayne enough.
Anyway, that wasn’t Falwell’s only surprise. In August 2020, Reuters released a huge report on a long-lasting affair between Becki and a young man from Miami. Affairs aren’t that surprising- but this one was, because Granda, the young man Becki met at the Foutainbleu Hotel in Miami, alleged that Jerry not only knew, but liked to watch.
I’m not here to yuck anybody’s yum. The Falwells have a right to a fulfilling sex life, whatever that looks like for them. What made me so mad about this story is the hypocrisy. These people have the power and privilege they do because they tell other people NOT to do what they did. The Liberty Way, the student honor code at the university allows for sex only in marriage, between a man and a woman, and states that even appearances of impropriety are violations of the Way. Violations are punishable by “points”, fines (hello $$$$), and even expulsion. The truth is, this name of Falwell enabled them to engage in a behavior that they also profit from shaming, forbidding, and punishing. That’s gross.
When I started working on God Forbid, it didn’t have a name. In fact, I even agreed to work on the project without knowing what it was even about! (That happens often in IC work, we get a call, say yes, sign an NDA , and then get details.) Once I knew what the story was, I was even more excited to get to work. Not to mention, working with the dream team of Miami and Florida storytelling, Billy Corben, Danny Pinzion, Adam McKay, Arthur Spellman and Rakontur. This project was fun, and is some of the most artistic work I’ve ever done. Billy is an incredible collaborator, and the team really is fantastic. And this cast! They were so funny and courageous and made some weird work a breeze! Sam, Betty, and Landon were fantastic and I can’t wait to see them at work in this.
This is my first IC gig (but certainly not the last, so stay tuned!) with a large distribution, so it’s really the first time folks outside of SoFla or a film festival circuit get to see my work. So, check out God Forbid on Hulu on Nov. 1.