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Somewhat more than eight years ago, a plainly overconfident pseudonymous critic on a small, extraordinarily nasty, and mostly atheist ex-Mormon message board took it upon himself to prophesy:
“By Jan. 1, 2014 Interpreter will be dead. . . . Either totally dead or down to token ‘blog’ style postings.” (Bond James Bond, 25 January 2013)
But prophecy is a risky business.
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This press release has just been issued by our publicist for the Witnesses theatrical film, Michelle Moore:
TICKETS FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FILM WITNESSES NOW ON SALE
– Film tells the untold story of Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon-
SALT LAKE CITY – Purdie Distribution and producers of the highly anticipated film, WITNESSES, announced today that tickets are now on sale for the film’s opening weekend. The epic family film of the summer opens exclusively in theatres on Friday, June 4.
WITNESSES depicts the powerful true story of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon — David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris. For nearly 200 years, their statement of what occurred, and its veracity, has been published with every copy of the Book of Mormon. And while many people know the story contained in their statement, not many know the full story of how they became witnesses.
“While many people know some of the Three Witnesses’ story, WITNESSES shares their remarkable story of faith in the face of tremendous opposition,” stated Russell Richins, the film’s producer.
To their dying days, these witnesses defended their testimonies even when faced with threatening mobs, ridicule, and betrayal by friends and family even after leaving the church they were intimately involved in creating. Filmed on location in the US and Canada and featuring a world-class cast of American and Canadian actors, WITNESSES is a dramatic recreation of how Harris, Cowdery and Whitmer became witnesses to the gold plates from which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon.
“WITNESSES is the most significant and ambitious film about the history of the Book of Mormon to ever be released on the big screen,” stated Brandon Purdie, president, and founder of Purdie Distribution. Purdie Distribution is managing the nationwide theatrical release of the ground-breaking film.
The film’s production team – Director Mark Goodman, Producer Russell Richins, and Executive Producers Daniel and Deborah Peterson from The Interpreter Foundation – partnered to bring this amazing story of early LDS and American history to the big screen. The film is just one prong of the broader Witnesses Project created by The Interpreter Foundation. The Witnesses Project includes the feature film WITNESSES, a documentary, UNDAUNTED, featuring scholars, skeptics and experts on all the witnesses to the Book of Mormon, and a series of “snippets” or short films about the many witnesses.
For more information, visit witnessesfilm.com.
ABOUT THE FILM
For nearly 200 years, skeptics and critics have attempted to explain away what David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris claimed—that they had seen angels and hefted golden metal plates containing ancient inscriptions. Now, for the first time, their amazing, untold true story comes to the big screen in the family film event of the year – WITNESSES. Featuring a world-class cast, WITNESSES has been hailed as the most significant and ambitious film dealing with the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the translation of the Book of Mormon ever made. Directed by Mark Goodman, the film explores how Harris, Cowdery and Whitmer became known as the Three Witnesses and how, to their dying days, they defended their testimonies even when faced with threatening mobs, ridicule, and betrayal by friends and family.
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PURDIE DISTRIBUTION:
Purdie Distribution is a full-service theatrical distribution company known for releasing independent films nationwide. Established in 2011, Purdie Distribution led the theatrical campaigns for SAINTS AND SOLDIERS: AIRBORNE CREED and THE VOID, THE SARATOV APPROACH, FREETOWN, MEET THE MORMONS, ONCE I WAS A BEEHIVE, THE STRAY, OUT OF LIBERTY, HEART OF AFRICA, along with T.C. Christensen’s THE FIGHTING PREACHER and LOVE, KENNEDY. Purdie Distribution is generally focused on films that inspire audiences and elevate the human experience. Before launching on his own, founder and owner Brandon Purdie helped establish the faith-based theatrical film movement with his work on the release of SAINTS AND SOLDIERS, THE WORK AND THE GLORY trilogy, and FOREVER STRONG.
REDBRICK FILMWORKS:
RedBrick Filmworks is made up of producers Russell Richins, Mark Goodman and James Jordan. Along with an extensive team of seasoned professional filmmakers, they have decades of experience in producing feature films (SOMEONE WAS WATCHING, WHISPER ISLAND), as well as helping create docudramas for PBS Television, BYUtv and other broadcast outlets. They have filmed around the world, focusing on telling important stories of significant historical figures (AMERICAN PROPHET, FIRES OF FAITH, HANDEL’S MESSIAH). RedBrick Filmworks believes in the power of wholesome movies to uplift audiences.
THE INTERPRETER FOUNDATION:
The Interpreter Foundation (www.interpreterfoundation.org) is an independent, non-profit organization that advocates the claims and defends the doctrines of the Restoration and supports the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through solid, peer-reviewed scholarship. Founded in 2012 and led and almost entirely staffed by volunteers, it publishes at least one online article each week in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, along with weekly radio broadcasts and scripture roundtable discussions, blog entries, conferences, books, and now, films.
Go to witnessesfilm.com and click on the button marked “Get Tickets.” And if you haven’t yet done so, go to the button marked “Bring Witnesses to Your City This Summer” and indicate that you want the film in a theater in your community.
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In other, related, news, I share some items that have been newly posted on the Interpreter Foundation’s website:
“Why Is Hugh Nibley More Important Now Than Ever?”
Including a video interview — for those who can endure such epic horrors — with the villainous president of the Interpreter Foundation.
Interpreter Radio Show — April 25, 2021
The 25 April 2021 broadcast of the Interpreter Radio Show has now been liberated from commercial and other interruptions, archived, and placed online for your listening convenience (at no charge!). The hosts for this installment were Steve Densley, Matthew Bowen, and Mark J. Johnson. In this episode, they recapped the recent conference on the Book of Moses as well as new Interpreter papers. The second portion of the show was a roundtable discussing the upcoming Come Follow Me lesson #23 (D&C 60-62). The Interpreter Radio Show can be heard Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640, or you can listen live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com.
The Interpreter Radio Roundtable for Come, Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 19, “Seek Ye Earnestly the Best Gifts” on D&C 46-48 included Steve Densley, Matthew Bowen, and Mark J. Johnson. This roundtable was extracted from the 28 March 2021 broadcast of the Interpreter Radio Show. The complete show may be heard at https://interpreterfoundation.org/interpreter-radio-show-march-28-2021/. The Interpreter Radio Show can be heard Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640, or you can listen live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com.
And Jonn Claybaugh generously continues with his series of “study and teaching helps”:
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Don’t miss these two short pieces, from our sister organization Book of Mormon Central:
“Why Did John Whitmer Continue to Testify of the Book of Mormon?”
“What Converted Sidney Rigdon to the Book of Mormon?”
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