Gloriavale Film Premieres
The Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust is pleased to announce the Gloriavale Film is soon screening in cinemas across NZ, then internationally.
With unprecedented access, filmmakers Noel Smyth and Fergus Grady lift the lid on the secretive Gloriavale Christian Community following a family of survivors searching for justice.
SPECIAL PREMIERE INVITATIONS
You are invited to premiere events across NZ from the 6th August – 17th August. Some regions are yet to be confirmed.
Special Premieres will include a Q&A at the end of the film with cast and film crew.
Book your tickets at these venues
Christchurch Isaac Theatre Royal:
Saturday 6 August, 5:45pm Book here
Auckland Civic Theatre:
7 August, 5:15pm Book here
Wellington Embassy Theatre:
Saturday 13 August, 3:15pm Book here
Timaru Movie Max:
Sunday 14 August, 6:30pm Book here
FILM SYNOPSIS
The closed doors of the Gloriavale Christian Community are forcefully assailed in this probing documentary, which follows a team of survivors and supporters on their crusade to bring the West Coast cult’s true nature to light. A heady mix of exposé and legal drama, with flourishes of espionage and heart-rending confessionals, the film makes an impassioned case against an organisation steeped in allegations of coercion, oppression and abuse.
The documentary introduces brother and sister John and Virginia, escapees fighting to free the rest of their family from the organisation’s grasp, along with Sharon Ready, who raises her voice against the group while still living inside Gloriavale. Home video footage from their youth gives the audience a rare glimpse inside the daily operations of Gloriavale, while their interviews recount a harrowing lifestyle of servitude, exploitation and sexual abuse. Meanwhile, an eclectic team of lawyers, investigators and campaigners wage a strategic battle against the wealthy organisation through the court system, in the face of seemingly ambivalent powers that be.
FILM TRAILER
FILM REVIEWS
“This is a side of New Zealand you know nothing about”
Melanie Reid — Newsroom
“A beautifully crafted film that reveals the shocking truths about life at Gloriavale, and the impact on those who were part of it.”
★★★★ Francesca Rudkin — Newstalk ZB
“Lifting the veil on ‘New Zealand’s secret cult’ and its fall from utopian ideal to Animal Farm-esque nightmare, this enlightening, heartrending, rage-inducing documentary follows former members as they battle for justice and reform from the outside. An excellent, powerful primer on the history, controversy and concern surrounding Gloriavale.”
★★★★ James Croot — Stuff.co.nz