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Audience of One

  • 2007
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
311
YOUR RATING
Audience of One (2007)
Documentary

A documentary following a Pentecostal minister who receives a vision from God to create an epic science fiction movie based on the biblical story of Joseph, sending him and his followers on ... Read allA documentary following a Pentecostal minister who receives a vision from God to create an epic science fiction movie based on the biblical story of Joseph, sending him and his followers on a journey of extreme faith.A documentary following a Pentecostal minister who receives a vision from God to create an epic science fiction movie based on the biblical story of Joseph, sending him and his followers on a journey of extreme faith.

  • Director
    • Mike Jacobs
  • Stars
    • Richard Gazowsky
    • Pietro Manigrasso
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    311
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Mike Jacobs
    • Stars
      • Richard Gazowsky
      • Pietro Manigrasso
    • 8User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos2

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    Richard Gazowsky
    • Self
    Pietro Manigrasso
    • Actor
    • Director
      • Mike Jacobs
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews8

    7.2311
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    Featured reviews

    10adamdonaghey

    "It's like watching yourself go to the toilet..."

    After the screening of Audience of One, much to the surprise--nay, the horror--of viewers, Pastor Richard Gazowsky and some of his congregation approached the stage with director Michael Jacobs. I, for one, had my hand over my mouth; my eyes were widened; and I certainly didn't know what to expect next.

    But I'm getting ahead of myself--let's backtrack.

    It took Gazowsky forty years to see his first feature film. Now the mission statement of his San Francisco based WYIWYG ("What You See Is What You Get") Filmworks is: "To bring the presence of God to people all over the world through entertainment." A highly unlikely candidate for a director, Gazowsky has made it his lifelong mission--since God told him to do it, of course--to get the biggest film ever on screen. It's kinda like "Star Wars meets The Ten Commandments"; shot on 65mm, it will be "the greatest movie ever made" and with a two million dollar budget to boot! A humble goal, indeed. Well, with that kind of pressure on your shoulders, it's no doubt that the film hasn't been made, despite hundreds of thousands of dollars and over a decade invested.

    Jacobs doesn't really interfere much, in this film. He simply sits back and watches the roller coaster that is WYSIWYG Filmworks. Throughout the documentary, we see a highly inexperienced crew, a director who treats the set as a dictatorship instead of a collaboration, and a train wreck of goofs, mix-ups and failures. Anyone outsourced--and with any experience--ends up leaving, due to the misguided creative vision of the wannabe director. The crew spends money they don't have, relying on "investors" we never see; who end up dropping the whole project in the grease. Yet, the troupe hold on to that crazy vision and pray like there's no tomorrow because they are bound by faith! Just about the entire film made me laugh out loud, but at the same time, I felt a little ill in my stomach. The real question here--despite all the buffoonery and delusion--seems to be of immense import: is all of this a tad bit dangerous? Going back to the Q&A session, after the film; one audience member asked the pastor if he'd immediately turn to operate, if God had asked him to be a surgeon. And while the pastor's answer is an obvious one, the question still lingers in the air. Is this man's ambitiousness capable of hurting others around him? I certainly don't doubt this man's determination or his conviction--he actually sold his house to help the project--however, I do have doubt in his ability to deliver. And while he may be blinded by his own ambition, it's simply no excuse to waste the hopes and aspirations--and money!--of true believers, on the weak foundation of a deluded dream. This problematic, cultish mentality might be funny from the outside; but as we've seen so many times over: fundamentalism can be a very dangerous thing.

    The pastor's response to all of this?

    "It's like watching yourself go to the toilet," he says with sincerity. "I don't like to see myself cry. I feel like a total idiot in front of you guys. But what if we end up getting funded, dude? Then I'm not so stupid. Maybe." Maybe. Or, perhaps you're just a charlatan, who's just wasted another large sum of money--and someone else's dreams--due to false promises, based on absurdity and lofty goals, impossible to meet.
    10leegaccmovies

    A documentary for anyone, regardless of faith

    Pastor Gazowsky is a nice man. He is humble, caring, has a healthy family, and is devoted to his faith. He also wants to make the most expensive movie ever made, based on seeing his first movie at age 40! This documentary on the onset seems wacky and strange, but it isn't. Neither is it scathing or brutal in its portrayal of a man with a vision. It simply tells the struggle of a man with no film making experience trying to adapt the story of Joseph to the big screen, sci-fi style. As an audience member, you'll find yourself cringing over how awkward Pastor Richard Gazowsky is trying to explain how the film making process is going. But it is well worth watching.
    7TheEmulator23

    Entertaining Ignorance @ it's best!

    This is interesting, but more than interesting it's pathetic & sad. This Pastor or "Director" (I use that term as loosely as possible) is completely an utterly useless. He is sincere as can be, but my god he is such a clueless person it's embarrassing. He doesn't seem to have any clue about how to deal w/people in general. I'm not even talking about his so-called directing, I'm talking about in general. His whole delusions of Grandeur is so absurd you can't believe this guy isn't in a mental institution. The way he is making his congregation pay for his movie doesn't seem like it should be legal. How anybody listens to this guy is beyond me. There are some parts that are so funny for all the wrong reasons it makes you feel embarrassed for those involved. I can't explain enough what a completely clueless individual this Pastor is. He also seems to try and get out of everything a rational person would understand needs to be done or paid for, by saying the most cliché' line that religious people use..."It's God's Will." Give me a break! They expect to just stay in this giant warehouse for free? The city shuts off the electricity for not paying rent & it's the Devil's fault? What a joke. If you enjoy watching people making fool's of themselves then surely you'll enjoy this. Him going around saying he has $200 million in funding from Germany is a GIANT LIE! Why would anybody give this guy that sort of money? Yeah they wouldn't. I bet there is almost zero usable film either & he should pay back all of the money he blew on this to the congregation.
    9JustCuriosity

    Fascinating and Disturbing film about Faith-based film-making

    This film screened at the SXSW film festival in Austin, TX where it was very well-received by audiences and received a Special Jury Award. Audience of One may be the first "Making Of" film for an unmade film.

    The film captured the incredibly bizarre story Reverend Richard Gazowsky's San Francisco-based Pentecostal Church and their efforts to create a film studio and film a great Christian epic film that would be a combination of "Star Wars" and the "Ten Commandments." Audience of One brilliantly captures the inevitable train wreck that ensues as they assemble a cast and crew of mostly incompetent amateurs and attempt to create a great film. Their mistakes are laughable and absurd to any film professional.

    Despite persistence and dedication, they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and are never able to come anywhere close to creating a real film. Audience of One is really a study of the meaning of fundamentalist faith and asks us where we should draw the line between reason/rationality and faith in God. Rational Modernists could view their actions as insane and irrational and wonder whether these people would actually "drink the Kool-Aid" if asked. The film is also a study of the power of charismatic leadership to make people act in ways that seem irrational to outsiders. Still, while their pursuit may seem wasteful and a little foolish it is ultimately fairly harmless compared to, for example, the Rev. Fred Phelps "God Hates Fags" ministry as portrayed in the brilliant documentary "Fall from Grace" (which also screened this year at SXSW).

    Audience of One is a truly enjoyable film to watch. It is both humorous and sad at the same time. While Audience of One serves as a warning about the dangers of fundamentalism, it should also offer secular viewers people a useful window into the power of religious faith to inspire believers. Perhaps the real lesson is that faith is a powerful tool and if harnessed for the right means can actually inspire believers in many ways. Here the task that people are inspired to pursue is one that is beyond their means, but that should be contrasted with the vast amount of good deeds that is accomplished by religious believers on a daily basis. I hope that people don't take from this film only the message that faith is dangerous and destructive, but rather the message that faith needs to be balanced with rationality.
    10mlangendorf

    Intense and Fascinating

    Bang! That's the sound of this viewer falling off the couch. I saw this on the Sundance Channel and was blown away. It isn't just the charismatic, yet loony, Brother Richard (who has been adequately explained above). But the characters surrounding him are just as compelling in their quest to set aside all reason to follow Richard's "vision". His Mother, an esteemed reverend in her own right, is supporting her son, but obviously can see the future. Her conflict moved me.

    This is as much about human nature as God, but, by God, what were they thinking? I couldn't look away.

    Amazing doc. If you are a documentary fan, this is a must see.

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • March 9, 2007 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Italy
    • Production company
      • Revolve Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 28m(88 min)
    • Color
      • Color

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