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PRAISE:

"What a beautiful film. And the fact that he [Matthew] wrote it adds so much to the power of it... very powerful."
-- Rob Bell, author, Love Wins

"Jesus Was a Commie elegantly breaks several cultural taboos and blurs the lines of narrative and documentary storytelling. It is both visually beautiful and eminently rational. Not a bad way to start a conversation..."
-- Sam Harris, neuroscientist and bestselling author of The Moral Landscape, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The End of Faith

"Matthew Modine's film is a beautiful soliloquy about his dreams for society. You will also be engaged by his thoughtfulness as an actor, filmmaker, and humanitarian. It's a film you won't want to miss."
-- Laurie B. Kirby, Esq., Executive Director, IFFS-IMFCOM

"Don't let the title fool you... If more people would just follow the teachings of the Rabbi Jesus instead of worshipping his memory and death our world would be a better place. The message of Jesus Was a Commie is so clear, powerful, and sublimely simple; love one another, care for our planet, help those in need. We can all do better than we have and this film reminds us."
-- Dr. Barbara Lunde, Founder, Center for Spiritual Living, Boca Raton, FL

"[Matthew Modine] is reclaiming the history of what the early church practiced in the first centuries after the crucifixion. That's a useful thing when you hear the name of Jesus being invoked to defend all sorts of things such as denying women the right to choose, contraception, or to invade another country, not likely something Jesus would have approved of. Modine's film highlights the themes of forgiveness and nonviolence. As we fight the struggle to make a better world, this approach allows us to find the common humanity that unites us all."
-- Rev. Tim Yeager, Chicago, IL

"The people who stand to benefit most may be the least likely to watch [Jesus Was a Commie]; but if they are committed to growing in their understanding, not just protecting their inherited and current belief, they'll take this opportunity to expand their horizons. Some will initially have a hard time with the ideas that 'we shouldn't expect a savior to arrive in the nick of time and rescue us,' and 'let's do away with
institutions that alienate and annihilate reason,' but thoroughly processing what surrounds these ideas should certainly lead to growth. Why fear that? Especially when some of Jesus' most common words were 'Fear not.'"
-- Doug Matheson, Author, Actually Thinking Vs. Just Believing

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AWARDS & HONORS:

• Winner of the Founders Prize for Best Short Film at Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival

• Awarded the Oldenburg Star recognizing bravura and compassion in visionary filmmaking at the Oldenburg International Film Festival in Germany

• Winner of the Gold SpIFFy Award for Best Short Film at the Spokane International Film Festival, 2012

• Award of Merit: Short Film, The Accolade Competition, 2012

• Winner, Best Documentary - Short, Outside the Box Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale, FL, March, 2012

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CREDITS:

Directed by: Terence Ziegler and Matthew Modine
Written by: Matthew Modine
Based on his article "Oh Commie All Ye Faithful" first published in Finch's Quarterly Review
Produced by: Adam Rackoff
Executive Producer: Matthew Modine
Cast: Matthew Modine as "John Doe"
Cinematography: Terence Ziegler and Michael Grantland
Edited by: Terence Ziegler
Visual Effects: Terence Ziegler
Original Music by: Lucas Van Lenten and Niabi Caldwell
Producing company: Cinco Dedos Peliculas

http://www.jesuswasacommiefilm.com