Follow the Prophet

Last updated
Follow the Prophet
Follow the Prophet - dvd cover.jpg
DVD cover
Directed byDrew Ann Rosenberg
Screenplay byRobert Chimento
Produced byJoan Sweeny
Paul Bernard
James Scura
StarringRobert Chimento
Tom Noonan
Diane Venora
David Conrad
Annie Burgstede
R. D. Call
John Diehl
CinematographyWalt Lloyd
Edited byDennis O'Connor
Music byJussi Tegelman
Production
company
Red Road Productions
Distributed byWarner Bros. Digital Distribution
Release dates
  • January 23, 2009 (2009-01-23)(Santa Barbara Film Festival)
  • April 30, 2010 (2010-04-30)(United States)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2 million

Follow the Prophet is an American film that was written by and stars Robert Chimento, which was created to show how polygamist lifestyles affect the children involved. [1] In the film, a young girl escaping from a polygamist cult is aided by an U.S. Army colonel and a renegade sheriff who join forces to save an even younger girl from a secret "marriage" to the cult's leader. [2]

Contents

Plot

On her 15th birthday Avery Colden (Annie Burgstede) discovers from her father (David Conrad) that she is to be given as a secret bride to the new prophet (Tom Noonan) of a religious cult. She escapes with the help of army Colonel Jude Marks (Robert Chimento) and a renegade sheriff (Diane Venora). When they find out that her younger sister is chosen to take her place as the secret bride they join forces to expose the truth that lies hidden in a town in Utah. Marks calls in favors from the military and Washington but even that may not be enough to help them fight the deeply secretive cult.

Production

Filming took place in Portland, Oregon. [3]

Release

The film premiered in competition at the 2009 Santa Barbara International Film Festival and was also screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival. [4] Follow the Prophet opened theatrically on April 30, 2010 at a benefit for the Texas Center For The Missing, Coordinator of the Houston Regional Amber Alert. [5] It was released for pay-per-view on May 1, 2010 [4] and on DVD on May 14. [6]

Reception

Variety magazine describes Follow the Prophet as generally an "above-average" made-for-cable film. [7]

Recognition

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References

  1. Sweeny, Joan (April 16, 2010). "New Film Exposes Sex Offenses in Polygamy Cult". The Huffington Post . Archived from the original on April 19, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2011. We made this movie because we were outraged. During the making of the film Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed Prophet of the fundamentalist church, went on the FBI's most wanted list, was caught, extradited to Utah and convicted as an accomplice to the rape of a 14-year-old.
  2. "Follow the Prophet". Red Road Productions. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  3. "Filmed in Oregon 1908-2015" (PDF). Oregon Film Council. Oregon State Library. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Author". Follow the Prophet Movie Blog. Red Road Productions. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  5. "Follow The Prophet Benefit Screening". Houston Arts Alliance. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  6. "Follow the Prophet". Amazon. ASIN   B003IH7OCY . Retrieved October 21, 2011. See Product details section.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  7. Leydon, Joe (May 17, 2010). "Variety Reviews – Follow the Prophet". Variety. ISSN   0042-2738 . Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  8. Deming, Mark. "Follow the Prophet". AllRovi . Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  9. Flores Alvarez, Olivia (April 30, 2010). "Follow the Prophet: Uncovering the Child Sex Abuse in Polygamous Sects". Houston Press: Hair Balls. Retrieved October 21, 2011.