UNAFF 2005 : Films : Twist of Faith

TWIST OF FAITH
Kirby Dick / Eddie Schmidt (USA) 87'

Description:
Academy nominated Twist of Faith follows the intimate psychological journey of Tony Comes, a firefighter from Toledo, Ohio, who survived years of sexual abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest. When we first meet Tony, he seems to have it all: a great job, a pretty wife, adorable kids and a beautiful house. But Comes is just beginning to come to grips with a past he‚s buried for twenty years. The constant barrage of news related to sexual abuse, coupled with a disturbing discovery in his personal life, forces Comes to confront his demons. A proud Catholic all his life, Comes decides to report his abuse to the person he has been taught to trust the most, his bishop. But when the bishop isn‚t completely honest with him, Tony files a lawsuit˜first as John Doe, then later putting his own name on the suit and going public. As Comes grapples with anger, guilt and confusion, the film shows how the effects of his abuse entangle everyone with whom he shares an intimate bond: his wife, children, extended family, friends and ultimately, his God. While Twist of Faith unravels the damage that sexual abuse wreaks on Comes‚ life, the film also chronicles a close-knit Catholic town that is unwilling to let the truth come out.

Biography:
Kirby Dick is an award-winning Los Angeles filmmaker. His film Derrida, about the world-renowned French philosopher, premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and won the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco Film Festival. The prior year, Dick directed the innovative Chain Camera, a riveting portrait of contemporary urban teenage life. In 1997 he directed the internationally acclaimed Sick: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist, which won the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the Grand Prize at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Dick‚s other films for HBO include Showgirls: Glitz & Angst and The End, a moving and profound chronicle of five terminally ill patients and their families.

Eddie Schmidt began collaborating with Kirby Dick on his groundbreaking documentary, Sick: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist. Schmidt also produced Dick‚s documentary Showgirls: Glitz & Angst for HBO‚s America Undercover. Schmidt, who began his career at New Line Cinema, has lent his producing talents to the TV series Blind Date and The Competition.. He has also been a contributor to NPR series This American Life, and co-wrote and directed the award-winning short, Happenstance. Schmidt most recently completed The End, a raw and intimate look at patients and families in a Los Angeles hospice program.

Contact Information:
Megan Parlen
Chain Camera Pictures
E-mail: megan@chaincamera.com
URL: www.twistoffaith.net