Hand of God

Running time: 95 mins

Filmmaker Joe Cultrera and his brother, Paul, were raised as good Catholics in the early Sixties. But thirty years later Paul revealed to Joe a secret that had been tormenting him all those years - he had been sexually abused by the Clergy.

Paul and his family put a human face on a story that is too often looked at as a statistic happening to someone else. Joe starts off as an objective chronicler, trying not to get emotionally involved. But as Joe investigates the facts of the abuse, he not only gets the runaround from Church authorities but also is blatantly lied to, and he can?t help but get drawn into his own film. His quest for the truth leads him all the way to the Archdiocese of Boston, where he discovers that those in power have even more incentive to hide their dirty laundry at all costs. And how Cultrera?s family handles the loss of something they held dear all their lives is as powerful as Paul?s own journey to try to understand what is not understandable.

Cultrera?s investigation burrows into hiding spots where comfort was found, trust was built and vulnerability created. It is a poetic look into one man?s journey from potential priest to scathing critic. It is an engaging portrait of one family?s attempt to regain its footing above a crumbling corporate belief system.

Sandy Wolf

Preceded by: Fuse; dir. Rob Fox; 10min; One night during a power outage, the powerful and moving history between a drunk father and his son unravels.

MAVERICK COMPETITION