Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844 the movement split into several groups following different leaders; the majority followed Brigham Young, while smaller groups followed Joseph Smith III, Sidney Rigdon, and James Strang. Most of these smaller groups eventually coalesced into the Community of Christ, and the term Mormon typically refers to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as today this branch is far larger than all the others combined. People who identify as Mormons may also be independently religious, secular and non-practicing, or belong to other denominations.
Mormon cinema usually refers to films with themes relevant to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The terminology has also been used to refer to films that do not necessarily reflect Mormon themes but have been made by Mormon filmmakers.
The R.M. is a 2003 comedy film about the experiences of an LDS returned missionary. "RM" is an LDS initialism for "returned missionary". It was written by Kurt Hale and John E. Moyer and directed by Kurt Hale.
The Singles Ward is a 2002 LDS cinema romantic comedy film directed by Kurt Hale written by himself and John E. Moyer, based on his own life as a standup comedian and single member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Like The R.M., and other films which followed it, The Singles Ward's target audience is members of the LDS Church and citizens of Utah. The film follows Jonathan Jordan, a recently divorced Mormon stand-up comedian who has not practiced his faith in several years, when he meets an actively Mormon woman who changes his perspective.
Anti-Mormonism is discrimination, persecution, hostility or prejudice directed against the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The term is often used to describe people or literature that are critical of their adherents, institutions, or beliefs, or physical attacks against specific Saints or the Latter Day Saint movement as a whole.
Sons of Provo is a 2004 film written by Peter Brown and Will Swenson, and directed by Will Swenson. It is a mockumentary that portrays the experience of an LDS boy band named Everclean from formation to resounding success.
Mobsters and Mormons is a 2005 comedy film. It was written, directed, and produced by John Moyer who also plays a role in the film. It is also produced by Kurt Hale and Dave Hunter of Halestorm Entertainment. This film features some Mormon centric humor that is meant to appeal to Mormon audiences. It also contains broad audience humor.
Halestorm Entertainment is a film production and distribution company based in Orem, Utah. It was founded in January 2001 by Kurt Hale and Dave Hunter, who were both film majors at Brigham Young University. Halestorm films are largely created by, for, and about Latter-day Saints, and usually contain a high amount of clichés and stereotypes about Mormon behavior and culture. Because of that, their films are mostly shown in first run movie theatres in the Western United States, where most American Mormons live.
The God Makers is a book and film highlighting the inner workings and perceived negative aspects of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ed Decker and Dave Hunt co-authored the book and film.
Erin Chambers is an American actress, best known for her role as Siobhan McKenna Spencer on ABC soap opera General Hospital. She has made guest appearances in a number of television shows.
Kirby Heyborne is an American actor, musician, singer, songwriter, narrator and comedian. He is known for his work in Lazy Muncie and LDS films. Heyborne has also worked extensively as an audiobook narrator.
John Moyer is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor and film producer. Moyer co-wrote the screenplays for The Singles Ward, The R.M., and The Home Teachers. He also wrote, produced, directed, and acted in Mobsters and Mormons.
William Swenson is an American actor and singer best known for his work in musical theatre. He also has developed a film career, primarily in LDS cinema.
Phineas Howe Young was a prominent early convert in the Latter Day Saint movement and was later a Mormon pioneer and a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Phineas Young was an older brother of Brigham Young, who was the president of the LDS Church and the first governor of the Territory of Utah.
The Institute for Religious Research is a United States Christian apologetics and counter-cult organization based in Cedar Springs, Michigan. It declares itself to be a non-denominational, non-profit Christian foundation for the study of religious claims, and was formerly known as Gospel Truths Ministries. IRR is a member of Evangelical Ministries to New Religions and was headed by Luke P. Wilson until his death in 2007. IRR's current staff includes Robert M. Bowman Jr., executive director, and Joel Groat, ministry director.
The Home Teachers is a 2004 comedy film written by John Moyer and directed by Kurt Hale. The Home Teachers is a comedy distributed by Halestorm Entertainment and intended for LDS audiences, or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Daryn Tufts is a writer, director, producer, Dolphin trainer and actor. Tufts’s writing, producing, and directing credits include feature films, documentaries, and television commercials and he has acted in several successful independent films, as well as several unsuccessful films. Tufts has also performed and taught sketch comedy and improvisational comedy with several professional comedy troupes and is the commercial spokesperson for the Questar Corporation. He currently lives in Holladay, Utah.
Black people have been members of Mormon congregations since its foundation, although the church placed restrictions on proselytization efforts among black people. Before 1978, black membership was small. It has since grown, and in 1997, there were approximately 500,000 black members of the church, mostly in Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean. Black membership has continued to grow substantially, especially in West Africa, where two temples have been built. By 2018, an estimated 6% of members were black. In the United States, 3% of members are black.
The Stranger from Pecos is a 1943 American Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer and written by Adele Buffington. This is the second film in the "Marshal Nevada Jack McKenzie" series, and stars Johnny Mack Brown as Jack McKenzie and Raymond Hatton as his sidekick Sandy Hopkins, with Kirby Grant, Christine McIntyre, Steve Clark and Edmund Cobb. The film was released on July 10, 1943, by Monogram Pictures.
Garrett Batty is an American film director, writer, and producer known for his film The Saratov Approach. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and a native of Park City, Utah. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his films are part of Mormon cinema, but with a more general audience. He has written, directed, and produced four full-length films, including Freetown (2015) and Out of Liberty (2019), and will begin work on a fifth in 2020. For Freetown, he was awarded the 2015 Ghana Movie Award for Best Screenplay alongside Melissa Leilani Larson.
