SCIENTOLOGY
DOCUMENTARY
Exposing
Scientology Fraud and Abuse
-
- XENU
TV commences work on its first
full length feature documentary.
This
personal essay about Scientology will
peel away the layers surrounding the
mysterious organization founded by science
fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.
The
film will mix in humor to tell a very
serious story about a group which committed
the single largest case of espionage
against the U.S. government; whose founder
went from writing pulp fiction for a
penny a word to having a briefcase filled
with a million dollars in cash hand-delivered
to him weekly at his hidden desert compound;
a group which followed Hubbard's orders
to use the court system to destroy its
enemies and to bring the IRS to its
knees; and which, 20 years after his
death, still mirrors the fantasies,
neurosis and paranoia of its late founder.
To
most people, Scientology is that "Hollywood"
religion. And until recently, many thought
that "if Tom Cruise belonged to
it, it couldn't be that bad." But
through interviews with former long-time
members, religious scholars, law enforcement,
attorneys, politicians and others, we'll
pull back the curtain and show what
Scientology actually believes and how
it behaves.
We'll
talk to former members about their experiences,
including members of the Sea Org, the
elite paramilitary organization inside
of Scientology whose members sign a
billion year service contract to work
for Scientology, coming back lifetime
after lifetime. Working 80 hours a week
for little pay, these dedicated members
keep the organization running and cater
to the needs of the wealthy public Scientologists
who flock to the main centers in Los
Angeles and in the small Florida town
of Clearwater, known as Scientology's
mecca. Former Sea Org members will tell
stories of both mental and physical
abuse and how even an offhand remark
can land them in trouble with management
and get them sent to the Rehabilitation
Project Force (the RPF) where they will
be forced to do hard labor for months
or years at a time, separated from loved
ones until they are allowed back into
the good graces of the group.
For
decades, Scientology has relished their
reputation of not being a "turn
the other cheek" religion. They
have fought back hard at anyone who
dared speak out about them. Hubbard
said anyone who attacked Scientology
is a criminal. All one needed to do
was dig up their crimes to silence them.
He labeled his enemies Fair Game and
said they could be "lied to, tricked,
sued or destroyed by any means by any
Scientologist."
While
this film will deal with serious issues,
it will tell the story in an entertaining
way, close to the spirit of Michael
Moore or Morgan Spurlock's films. Much
of the story is bizarre, incredible
and over the top. Hubbard himself said
their greatest defense is that no one
would believe it. Yet, it's all documented.
Hubbard was obsessive about keeping
written orders on how precisely to acheive
a goal, whether it was taking over the
government or tucking in a bed sheet.
His written words are sacred and are
not to be altered. He is called Source.
Rewriting Source is a high crime in
Scientology. Yet we'll show how the
current management struggles with updating
his materials, whether to be more politically
correct or in order to re-sell the materials
to the group's shrinking membership.
We'll
look at how Scientology attacks psychiatry
through their front group, the Citizen's
Commission on Human Rights, whose stated
goal is to eradicate psychiatry completely,
with the use of tax exempt religious
donations. We'll look at how Scientology
uses other front groups such as Narconon,
Criminon and Applied Scholastics to
recruit new members. Whether through
drug rehab, business seminars or stress
tests given to passerbys on the street,
there are many ways to meet Scientology
but they all are meant to move you onto
the Bridge.
The
group's motto is "Think for Yourself"
but the deeper one gets into the group,
we'll see the more one's reality is
stripped away and replaced by Hubbard's
reality. The more indoctrinated you
become, the more you find yourself thinking
what Hubbard wants you to think. We'll
dissect what many call Hubbard's mind
control factory.
This
film will explore Scientology's beliefs
and actions and the nature of religious
freedom in America. It will weave in
public encounters I've had over the
past decade with Scientologists. From
L.A. to Clearwater, I've captured some
amazing footage showing the way Scientologists
are trained to react. Hubbard wrote
that anyone who attacks Scientology
is a criminal which is why so often
they demand to know, "What are
your crimes, Mark?"
The
film will ask if can you speak out against
fraud and abuse in a group and still
respect their religious beliefs -- even
when those extraordinary beliefs spring
from a man who lied about virtually
every well documented aspect of his
life?
And
can a group shrouded in mystery maintain
it's power in the age of the internet,
a device the futuristic founder of Scientology
never imagined?
The
overall budget for the film will be
$60,000 but in this first stage of fundraising,
we seek $10,000. That money will go
toward equipment purchases and setting
up a corporation, legal costs and fees.
Contact:
http://www.indiegogo.com/XENUTV
On Friday, November 19th, I started shooting my feature film about
Scientology. We tested the use of a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with our first
interview subject. Steve Hassan spoke about control issues in Scientology and
how loved ones can reach a family member inside an insulated group like
Scientology. Steve is the author of two critically acclaimed books – Combatting Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-selling
Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults (1988)
and Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for
Themselves (2000). His web site is
freedomofmind.com.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Later we took the camera to Big Blue on Sunset Blvd to shoot this quick video
commemorating the day.
Click here to view the embedded video
I’m impressed with the quality of the HD video from the camera, especially
under the low light conditions we faced at night time, but the camera’s
limitations make it difficult to shoot lengthy interviews.
A noble experiment and I appreciate Steve allowing us to use him as a
learned, book-writing guinea pig.
More people are coming forward to tell their stories. Please contribute what
you can at IndieGoGo.com to help with travel expenses and spread the word about
the movie. |
Audio:
Video
