George Birt

In the vein of the Academy-Award nominee Jesus Camp, this disturbing film goes inside the surreal and shocking world of the controversial cult leader Reverend Fred Phelps and his hate group. With the recitation of three provocative words--"God hates fags"--Reverend Fred Phelps ignited a firestorm of controversy in sleepy Topeka, Kansas, a maelstrom that has continued with his aggressively polarizing rhetoric on such heated issues as homosexuality and the war in Iraq. The penetrating and thought-provoking documentary Fall From Grace follows Phelps' transformation from an award-winning civil rights attorney to an incendiary preacher whose extreme interpretations of Bible scriptures have reached millions around the globe. Rev. Phelps issued his first sermon 50 years ago at Westboro Baptist Church, where his congregation was--and still is--largely comprised of his own family. Since then, the group has staged over 22,000 picket demonstrations at locations ranging from college campuses to funerals for American soldiers, enraging many with slogans such as "Thank God for 9/11" and "You're going to hell." Replete with shocking interviews and rare Phelps footage, Fall From Grace paints a powerful portrait of hatred in America, one that forces viewers to reexamine the quintessentially American right of free speech.

For years, the Rev. Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church have preached a message of intolerance and hatred, aimed at homosexuals. This compelling documentary shines a spotlight on Phelps and his followers, widely condemned as a hate group. K. Ryan Jones's debut takes a hard look a church that claims that everything from the poor economy to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks can be tied to God's wrath over so-called sexual deviance.

We are taught to forgive, but what if the devil said "sorry" Could he be forgiven? We are also taught that there are two sides to every story, we know the biblical side but what if we heard the devil's side, the side that has been lost through time.