http://www.amormonpresident.com/A_Mormon_President_s.mov
Press Release ( http://www.amormonpresident.com/)
(July 9, 2007 - Los Angeles) - Production has begun on a new documentary film, A Mormon President , which explores the historical roots of current presidential candidate Mitt Romney's biggest challenge to being elected President: his Mormon faith.
The film is being helmed by producer/director Adam Christing, a member of the Mormon History Association. "Very few people realize that Romney is not the first Mormon to run for the White House," says Christing, who studied theology at Biola University in Los Angeles. "The first Mormon to run for the Presidency was actually the first Mormon, the prophet, Joseph Smith. Those who want to understand Romney's challenge today, must first understand Joseph Smith."
Christing's crew recently retraced steps from the forced 1838 Mormon evacuation from Missouri to Nauvoo Illinois, where the Mormon prophet announced his campaign for the White House and was soon murdered.
"Joseph Smith is one of the most captivating religious figures in U.S. history," says Christing. "He was loved by nearly half the state of Illinois and hated by the other half. There is evidence that a political conspiracy was hatched to murder him shortly after he announced his run for President."
A Mormon President will be released in the fall of 2007 and will shed light on the deep undercurrent of anti-Mormon feeling in some parts of the country. Christing notes that after recently filming at Haun's Mill in Missouri where 17 Mormons were brutally massacred in 1838, his crew was stunned to discover that for some of the townsfolk the 170-year-old tensions still remain. "That massacre never happened…the Mormons are a bunch of thieves, and we'll never vote for a Mormon president," proclaimed one local resident.
A Mormon President has received unprecedented access to key sites in the early Mormon story including the jail cell in Carthage, Illinois where Smith was murdered. Christing's film team was also invited to film a memorial service at the gravesite of Joseph Smith on the anniversary of his death on June 27th where faithful Latter Day Saints gather each year to honor Smith and hear a memorial message.
Romney is soon expected to make a public speech about his faith, reminiscent of John F. Kennedy's famous address about his Catholicism and his politics. Christing believes that America is experiencing a "focus moment" about Mormonism. Current public opinion polls have shown that up to 35% of Americans say they would not vote for a Mormon for president. Through expert historians and dramatic reenactments, A Mormon President examines the historical roots behind this attitude.
For more about A Mormon President or to interview Adam Christing,
contact: Lisa Franco, Creek Park Pictures 310-478-8700
or email Lisa@creekparkpictures.com
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