TOLEDO (OH)
Toledo Blade
By CHRISTOPHER BORRELLI
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Twist of Faith - the Academy Award-nominated Sundance hit about a Toledo firefighter and his fight with the Toledo Catholic Diocese - has an opening date:
June 28, at 10 p.m.
And you won't need to buy a movie ticket, either: It premieres on HBO, the cable network that produced and bankrolled the film in the first place, as part of its American Undercover series.
The documentary from Los Angeles filmmakers Kirby Dick and Eddie Schmidt never did get a theatrical deal - despite a pile of critical raves at the Sundance Film Festival and an Oscar nomination for best documentary.
Big-screen distribution, however, is not entirely off the table, Schmidt said. Two distribution companies are still interested and "there's a strong possibility the film will have a theatrical venue after its air date on HBO."
In the meantime, there is expected to be one local screening at the Maumee Indoor Theatre, probably the night before it airs on television. Schmidt, Dick, and the film's principle subject, Tony Comes, are expected to attend. The bad news: It will be invitation-only.
The film - which almost entirely unfolds in Toledo - recounts Comes' lawsuit against the Diocese for years of alleged rape and molestation by a Toledo priest in the early 1980s. The former priest, Dennis Gray, has denied the allegations. He left the priesthood in 1987. Sally Oberski, a spokeswoman for the Diocese, said they have still not seen the film but "whatever venue it gets shown, we hope by seeing the film, other victims gain the courage to come forward."
Posted by kshaw at May 13, 2005 06:51 AM