In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a ward is the larger of two types of local congregations, the smaller being a branch. A ward is presided over by a bishop, the equivalent of a pastor in many other Christian denominations. As with all local LDS Church leadership, the bishop is considered lay clergy and as such is not paid. Two counselors serve with the bishop to help with administrative and spiritual duties of the ward and to preside in the absence of the bishop. Together, these three men constitute the bishopric. A branch is presided over by a branch president who may also have one or two counselors, depending on the size of the branch. Groups of wards are organized into stakes, while groups of branches are organized into districts.
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 Best Two Years is a 2003 dramedy film written and directed by Scott S. Anderson. It is based on the stage play The Best Two Years of My Life, also by Anderson. It portrays the experience of four LDS missionaries living in an apartment in the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands. The stage play had one setting, the apartment of the missionaries. The movie does expand upon the play's setting, with some filming taking place in the Netherlands, but much of the movie still takes place in the apartment.
Saints and Soldiers is a 2003 war drama film directed by Ryan Little and produced by Little and Adam Abel. It is loosely based on events that took place after the Malmedy massacre during the Battle of the Bulge. The film stars Corbin Allred, Alexander Niver, Lawrence Bagby, and Peter Asle Holden as the four American soldiers trying to return Kirby Heyborne, a British soldier with vital intelligence, to the Allied lines.
Ruth Hale was an American playwright and actress.
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.
The Book of Mormon Movie, Volume 1: The Journey is a 2003 American adventure drama film directed by Gary Rogers and written by Rogers and Craig Clyde. A film adaptation of the first two books in The Book of Mormon, a religious text of scripture, the film was given a limited theatrical release on September 12, 2003.
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.
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.
Connie Young is an American actress. She is known for playing Peggy Barlett in Read It and Weep and Cammie Giles in The Singles Ward. She reprised the role of Cammie in The Singles 2nd Ward. She also appeared in Sons of Provo. Cult film fans know her as Holly Waits in Troll 2, which is regarded as one of the worst films ever made. Young is a Mormon.
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.
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.
Mormonism is the 2nd largest religious denomination in Oregon after Roman Catholicism. Mormons have had considerable influence in the state throughout its contemporary history and many influential Mormons have come from Oregon including Senator Gordon H. Smith.
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.
The Singles 2nd Ward is a 2007 LDS cinema romantic comedy film directed by Kurt Hale written by himself and John E. Moyer. It is the sequel to the 2002 film The Singles Ward, and, like the first film, is targeted at members of the LDS Church and Utahns. The film follows Dalen Martin, a character from the first film, and his relationship with a convert named Christine.
