Alive Mind Cinema Opens RAW FAITH on June 24, 2011

Alive Mind Cinema is proud to announce the theatrical release of Raw Faith (2010), now set to open on June 24, 2011, at The Quad Cinema in New York City. The film, directed by Peter Wiedensmith, was an official selection at the Nashville Film Festival, where it received the 2010 NPT Human Spirit Award.

After the New York opening, Raw Faith will expand to other national markets during the summer and fall of 2011, before a DVD and VOD release in early 2012.

This surprisingly intimate and revealing documentary follows two years in the private life of Marilyn Sewell, an outspoken and socially progressive Unitarian minister who has re-energized her Portland community.

During Marilyn Sewell’s tenure as senior minister of the First Unitarian Church of Portland, the church grew from 625 to 1,600 members, becoming one of the largest and most esteemed UU groups in the nation. As one of the few women to lead a large church of any faith in the United States, Marilyn also brings a female perspective to local and national issues, making her a irreplaceable figure in Christian liberal debates in the United States.

While serving a community that relies on her for wisdom and advice (on both personal and ethical issues), Marilyn struggles quietly with decisions about her own future. Furthermore, as she seeks to reconcile the commitments of her profession with a longing for intimacy and love, childhood memories of mental illness and alcoholism come back to the surface – and must be dealt with before she can move forward.

As Marilyn’s life unfolds in front of the camera (in real time), she shares her journey with remarkable candor, humor and increasing wisdom, ultimately leading her to an unexpected revelation of faith and love in all of its guises.

Marilyn Sewell has an undergraduate degree in education and advanced degrees in English literature, social work and ministry. She also has a Ph.D. in Theology and Literature from the Graduate Theological Union and the University of California at Berkeley.

Currently living near the Willamette River, in Portland, Oregon, Sewell is working on a new book and continues to blog weekly with her “Reflections,” giving a spiritual perspective on issues of the day.