God Is American
2007 French film
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God Is American (French: Dieu est américain) is a 2007 French documentary film written, directed and produced by Richard Martin-Jordan.[1] The film is about a religion invented in Vanuatu in the South Pacific.[2]
- 2007
| God Is American | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Richard Martin-Jordan |
| Written by | Richard Martin-Jordan |
| Produced by | Palladium Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 52 min |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
Plot
The documentary examines a religion practiced on Tanna, an island in the Vanuatu archipelago. Its followers pray in front of an American flag to a prophet named John Frum. According to believers, Frum was an American pilot who once landed on the island, who return one day with bounty they call the Cargo.[1][3]
Criticism
The shooting of that film was controversial in Vanuatu; the film was accused of being pseudo-anthropological. Some viewers on the YouTube version of this film have noted that the captions incorrectly translate the subjects' Bislama words into English,[original research?] and other viewers have pointed out that the narrator takes a condescending view towards the people who are the film's subjects.[citation needed]
Awards
This film was selected in 95 festivals worldwide, it has won 20 awards:
- Toulon International Film Festival (Toulon) / France (November 2007) : Jury Special Award 2007
- Festival « Etonnant Voyageur » (St-Malo) / France (May 2008) : Winner of a star at the scam (French civil society of multimedia authors)
- Honolulu International Film Festival (Honolulu) / Hawaii (Mars 2009) : Gold Kahuna prize for the excellence of filmmaking
- The Accolade Competition (La Jolla, Californie) / USA (Avril 2009) : Award of excellence
- Mexico International Film Festival (Baja, Californie) / USA (Avril 2009) : Bronze palm award
- Twin Rivers Media Festival (Twin Rivers, Caroline du Nord) / USA (Mai 2009) : Fourth place
- Yosemite Film Festival (Yosemite, Californie) / USA (Sept 2009) : Silver Sierra Award 2009
- The Indie Film Festival (La Jolla, Californie) / USA (Sept 2009) : Award of Merit “honouring outstanding craft and creativity in film”.
- Nevada Film Festival (Las Vegas, Nevada) / USA (Oct. 2009) : Golden Reel Award Winner
- Mountain Film Festival (Colorado) / USA (Février 2010) : Jury Prize Documentary Competition
- Canada international Film Festival (Vancouver) / Canada (Mars 2010) : Award of Excellence in Film Making
- Sene film music and arts festival (Rhode Island) / USA (Avril 2010) : Award for Best Documentary Film
- Independent Film Awards / USA (2015) Honorable Mention : Winner
- WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival (Texas) / USA (Avril 2015) : Gold Remi Winner
- ColorTape International Film Festival (Mansfield) / Australie (Avril 2015) : People's Choice Award
- Filmmakers World Film Festival – Indonesia (2016) - Diamond Award
- HIFF – Headline International Film Festival (Décembre 2015) - Honorable Mention Winner
- Java Film Awards – Indonésie (2018) – Golden Award
- FICCSUR Southern Cone International Film Festival – Valparaíso/ Chili (Mai 2018) – Prix du Meilleur Documentaire
- Eurasia International Film Festival – Moscow September 2018 – Prix du Meilleur Documentaire
