Wonderfully Made - LGBTQ+R(eligion)

Wonderfully Made – LGBTQ+R(eligion) is the extraordinarily moving feature-length documentary striking at the root of anti-LGBTQ attitudes by exploring the challenges and aspirations of LGBTQ+ Catholics due to the institutional Church’s formal rejection of their identities. The film focuses on the Catholic Church because it is one of the largest religious organizations and its anti-LGBTQ+ stance is well-known and growing more hardline in many parts of the world. The film criticizes Church teaching, but it is respectful of those of faith, focusing on inclusion and representation for all people. It features interviews with leading advocates of LGBTQ+ Catholics, including a pioneering nun, a prominent priest, an openly gay priest, a former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, among other influential organizational leaders and activists. The narrative of the film is shaped by the process of a fine art project creating unprecedented, photographic iconography representing LGBTQ people and depicting Jesus with the LGBTQ+ community, portrayed by multiple LGBTQ+ models of diverse ethnicities, genders, races, sexualities, and identities. The impactful and affecting art draws emotional reactions from those involved in the creation and the audiences who view them. The reactions of the film’s interviewees were filmed as they saw the images for the first time. The never before seen images are revealed at the end of the film, taking the audience on the journey of seeking change through the power of art. (Woodstock Film Festival)