Apostasy: The Movie - Directed by Daniel Kokotajlo

by darkspilver 75 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  darkspilver

  Daniel Kokotajlo's new film Apostasy has it's World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017
  
  

  Apostasy

  Family and faith come into conflict for two Jehovah’s Witness sisters in Manchester, when one is condemned for fornication and the other pressured to shun her sibling.

  This fresh, unadorned first feature from director Dan Kokotajlo carries an unmistakable note of authenticity from its very first scenes. Set in a Jehovah's Witness community in England, the film's strength and power lies in its directness.

  Apostasy depicts the growing rift in a family — a mother and two daughters — who are rigorously devoted to their religion. Raised in The Truth, as the faith is known to Jehovah's Witnesses, sisters Alex, 18, and Louisa, 21, take their religious mission door to door amongst a large Pakistani community in Oldham, Greater Manchester. It comes as a shock to both Alex (Molly Wright) and the girls' equally devout mother, Ivanna (Siobhan Finneran), when Louisa (Sacha Parkinson) starts seeing a young man who is a non-believer and begins pushing back against Ivanna's straightjacket of values. The Elders of the church watch carefully and Louisa is condemned for having lost her way.

  At the same time, Alex is courted by a new arrival, a committed Elder who receives the blessing of her mother the and community alike. What transpires from there is far from predictable, and the outcome stretches the women's faith to its breaking point. As the sisters embark on their own paths, Ivanna's love and loyalties are torn.

  Kokotajlo guides us through the emotional depths of a family whose hearts are fractured by colliding beliefs.
  

  READ MORE: http://www.tiff.net/tiff/apostasy/
  

  MORE INFO: http://www.cornerstonefilm.com/news-blog/2017/8/23/daniel-kokotajlos-apostasy-gets-sales-deal-ahead-of-toronto-premiere

  MORE INFO: http://www.dankokotajlo.com

  CAST: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siobhan_Finneran - TV's Benidorm (Janice Garvey)
  

  CAST: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacha_Parkinson - TV's Coronation Street (Sian Powers)

  CAST: https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/molly-wright/ - TV's Our Girl (Lulu Lane)

  CAST: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Emms - Film War Horse (David Lyons)
  
  
  
• 

  konceptual99

  WOW! This should be a quality film. It's got an experienced cast and a proven director. Siobhan Finneran, especially, is an excellent actress and has played many tough roles.

  I hope the research is good and that there are not too many holes for the faithful to pick at as this could be a really powerful exposé of the reality of disfellowshipping and the internal dilemmas that the practice enforces on people.
• 

  cobweb

  Yes, I can see a lot of good about it. The research is key for it to be authentic. It seems to have been written primarily by Charlotte Wise.

  It'd be great if they used this image as the movie picture but doubt it:

  http://www.dankokotajlo.com/apostasy-film/

  Just realised who Siobhan Finneran is. Yeah, she is great in everything she is in.
• 

  darkspilver

  FYI - from an old article
  

  In development with iFeatures (BFI, BBC, Creative England), 'Apostasy' will be the only English-language feature film of its kind to deal with the Jehovah's Witness faith

  15 January 2015

  As one of eight projects selected for development by iFeatures - the UK’s most exciting low budget feature film initiative - 'Apostasy' will be the only English-language feature film of its kind to deal with the Jehovah's Witness faith.

  "I’ve had a lifelong interest in the Jehovah’s Witnesses even after I grew up and moved away from family members involved in the religion," said Dan Kokotajlo, a self-taught director based in Manchester, who left the faith aged 21. "Their inner workings and how their teachings affect people continue to intrigue me."

  This will be the only English-language fictional film to address the difficulty in leaving the faith and the pain caused by shunning or ‘disfellowshipping’.

  "Common to most people who try to leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses is the way in which the religion breaks up the family. People are taught that God’s love is more important than family," explains Kokotajlo. "On a bigger scale, I want to explore what faith really means to people today and why it exists."

  READ MORE: http://uk.prweb.com/releases/2015/01/prweb12440034.htm
  
• 

  cobweb

  Oh thank you for that darksilver. The director who also is listed as co-scriptwriter grew up in the faith. That makes me feel really positive about it then. That is brilliant.
• 

  konceptual99

  Didn't realise that Dan Kokotajlo was raised a Witness. That should help with the authenticity of the film.

  It's a very interesting subject but a shame that 99% of Witnesses will either never hear of it or not be prepared to see it as they would view it as apostate lies. Therein lies the irony...
• 

  cobweb

  Its got the BBC films logo on there so it'll get shown on TV for sure and a lot of British witnesses will watch it circumspectly.
• 

  zeb

  People will watch it for sure but its a certain the advice from the platform will be not to watch it because (a) its apostate lies (b) its part of satans tricks.

  Pity he cant include the appropriate footage from the ARC in it.
  
• 

  cha ching

  Here are a couple of trailers, 'apparently' is is classified as a comedy.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnuA5o0Bf1U

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNovx44gkDE

  "Weighty matters, tackled with a wonderful lightness of touch" Hollywood Reporter
• 

  cobweb

  No cha ching, that isn't the same film. This is an English film set in Manchester.