God Loves Uganda | |
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Directed by | Roger Ross Williams |
Produced by | Roger Ross Williams Julie Goldman |
Starring |
Lou Engle Jonathan Hall Rev. Kapya Kaoma Rev. Robert Kayanja Rev. Jo Anna Watson Jesse & Rachelle Digges Bishop Christopher Senyonjo Rev. Martin Ssempa Scott Lively |
Music by | Mark degli Antoni |
Cinematography | Derek Wiesehahn |
Edited by | Richard Hankin (supervising editor) Benjamin Gray |
Distributed by | Variance Films |
Release date
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Running time
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83 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
God Loves Uganda is a documentary film produced and directed by Roger Ross Williams, which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. It explores connections between evangelicalism in North America and in Uganda, suggesting that the North American influence is the reason behind the controversial Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act, which at one point raised the possibility of the death penalty for gays and lesbians. The filmmakers follow a group of young missionaries from the International House of Prayer in their first missionary effort in another nation, as well as interviewing several evangelical leaders from the US and Uganda.
Williams was inspired to make God Loves Uganda when he met David Kato, an LBGT activist who was killed in 2011, ostensibly in a robbery. Kato told there was an untold story of the damage American fundamentalist evangelicals are doing in Uganda; of the insidious nature of their aggressive effort to harvest young, unclaimed souls to preach a gospel of love intertwined with a gospel of intolerance.
In late May 2014, the film aired on several PBS stations in the United States as part of the Independent Lens series. In response, the International House of Prayer said that it is "not involved" in politics, despite the long history of political involvement by Engle, IHOP director Mike Bickle and other IHOP leaders.
Joe Mirabella at the Huffington Post described it as the "most terrifying film of the year"; Tim Wu at Slate and Bill Blezek at the Omaha World-Herald described the film as "disturbing." On the other hand, John G. Stackhouse, Jr. of Christianity Today criticized the film for "evangelophobia" and trading in "propaganda", likening the film to the 2006 film Jesus Camp.