PROPHET'S PREY (2015)
Featured in Entertainment Weekly, Variety, the Huffington Post and the New York Times.
Official Selection at Sundance and DOCUTAH.
Directed by Amy Berg
Produced by Katherine LeBlond, Jayne Mieko Goldsmith
Cinematography by Peter Donahue, Andrew James, Tyler Measom
Edited by Scott Stevenson, Brendan Walsh, Mark Harrison
Music by Nick Cave, Warren Ellis
SYNOPSIS
When Warren Jeffs rose to Prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, he took control of a religion with a history of polygamous and underage marriage. In a short time, Warren managed to expand these practices and the power of his position in unprecedented ways. He bridged the gap between sister wives and ecclesiastically rape, befuddling the moral compass of his entire congregation. The film examines Warren Jeffs' life and shows how he became a worshipped and adored Prophet. Warren has a devout following numbering in the tens of thousands - many of whom would give their life at any moment with just one word from the Prophet. Despite a trail of abuse and ruined lives, Warren has maintained his grip on power.
SUNDANCE WRITE-UP
When noted author Jon Krakauer stumbled upon a closed polygamous community in southern Utah in 1999, it caught him by surprise. Private investigator Sam Brower (whose 2011 book shares the film’s name) was already investigating the rogue sect known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (FLDS). Here the two men share their alarming allegations of sexual abuse, underage marriages, and pregnancies. Collaborating with a local Texas journalist who first reported the story, they retrace their involvement that led to the capture and conviction of the group’s maniacal leader, Warren Jeffs.
Gripping first-person accounts from former members and descendants of FLDS leadership paint a harrowing portrait where women are property, and men are forced to comply with the oppressive guidelines or face expulsion from their own families. Veteran director Amy Berg’s sobering examination of current religious indoctrination is a chilling reminder of the danger of a tyrannical "prophet's" unchecked power.