The Illuminaphonist
Synopsis
LOVE FREE OR DIE (Special Jury Prize winner Sundance 2012) is a film about religion, homosexuality and human rights; how tradition and scripture are used by many to reject a faithful minority and amid the growing calls in the US and beyond to adopt inclusion. The film follows Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay person to be elected bishop in the high church traditions of Christendom. Bishop Robinson’s elevation in the sleepy New Hampshire diocese in 2003 ignited a worldwide debate in the Anglican Communion, one that has become so heated that there is still a chance of a schism in the 80 million-member denomination. Taking on the church’s stance against homosexuality, Bishop Robinson has become a lightning rod, standing at the crossroads of religion and sexuality. One year after being muzzled by the Archbishop of Canterbury, he finds himself speaking from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at Barack Obama’s Inauguration. Gene Robinson confronts those who use religion as an instrument of oppression, and claims a place in the church and society, not just for LGBT people, but for all people.
