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Directed and Produced by: Holly Hardman
Released: 2012
Running Time: 87mins
Subtitles: English
Subjects: Religious Studies Anthropology Sociology
Set against a backdrop of hurricane devastation and apocalyptic fear, GOOD PEOPLE GO TO HELL, SAVED PEOPLE GO TO HEAVEN penetrates the complex world of evangelical Christianity along America’s Gulf Coast. The film follows a cross-carrying fundamentalist preacher, an impassioned youth choir leader and her family, as well as a compelling array of their born-again brethren. Unnervingly authentic, the film explores the deep, and often desperate, reasons evangelical believers have for embracing their religion. The result is a film of stunning candor and vital insight into the paradoxical world of evangelical compassion, fear, love and intolerance.
Released in other markets as..."Left Behind in Louisiana".
GOOD PEOPLE GO TO HELL, SAVED PEOPLE GO TO HEAVEN from Collective Eye Films on Vimeo.
Awards:
- Official Selection- IDFA 2012
- Official Selection- Louisiana International Film Festival 2013
- Best Documentary (2nd place) - Knoxville Film Festival
Reviews/ Testimonials:
"Evangelical Christians rarely get to speak for themselves in a mainstream media setting (and when their presence is noted, the context is usually a shrill political dialogue rather than a serious consideration of theological principles). In contrast, Holly Hardman's documentary—set primarily in the Gulf Coast region—offers a relatively objective view of this demographic, exploring how self-identified fundamentalists preserve and maintain their faith in an increasingly secular society. For many of the men and women interviewed here, religion is the anchor that keeps them moored—especially in the aftermath of the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which devastated communities and left many homeless. Most tap into their belief system for the strength and emotional clarity to move ahead with their lives. Admittedly, some behavior can be considered excessive, most notably the journey of a bearded gent who walks along the highways toting an oversized cross. And there are critics: one young man compares his fundamentalist upbringing to life in a Communist country; leaving home to join the Marines, he knew nothing of contemporary music and popular culture. But aside from a brief lapse into a negative consideration of the gay lifestyle, the outlook presented here is overwhelmingly positive and life-affirming...Highly recommended." —Video Librarian
“Hardman has bravely taken on one of the great American themes, religious ‘enthusiasm’ or fanaticism…Whether we can accept their world picture or not, Holly Hardman scrupulously avoids undercutting their best qualities…See this film, see it twice and more. It is a fascinating and disquieting picture of an aspect of American life few of us will see in any other way.” -Michael Miller, New York Arts
“While there have been other documentaries about evangelicals and apocalypticism, Hardman does her project a great favor by localizing it in often disaster-stricken Louisiana, where religious fervor seems strangely out of place against the backdrop of drunken Mardi Gras revelry in New Orleans.” -Basil Tsiokis, What(NOT)toDoc
"...An intimate look into the evangelical subculture. Beyond its intrinsic merits, this film has the potential to trigger much broader conversations about the nature of the relationship between politics and religion, about the contours of compassionate activism, and about the importance of tolerance in a multi-cultural setting...A superb documentary.” -Randall Balmer, Dartmouth College, Author, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America
“Producer/director Holly Hardman takes us into a world as bizarre as it is authentically realized, close at hand and yet entirely surreal…The fundamentalist subculture she penetrates so seamlessly was waiting for the Rapture and got Katrina instead. It makes for a fascinating conjunction of mythic forces.” -Jed Horne
Author, Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City
“A phenomenal film…A seamless mélange of studies [following] several believers, showing both the human side of conservative evangelical culture, [and] educating audiences about this vast and often misunderstood subculture. [Hardman's] hands-off approach also implicitly alerts the viewer to deeper problems of intolerance and destructive political agendas—as stories of real people unfold through [her] empathetic, artistic, and even-handed lens.” -Glenn William Shuck, Asst. Professor of Religion, Williams Colleg, Author, Marks of the Beast: The Left Behind Novels and the Struggle for Evangelical Identity
"A probing but remarkably even-handed exploration of the world of fundamentalist Evangelical faith..." -Martin Griffin, Knoxville Film Festival