THE LEADER
Writer/Director: Michael Gallagher
Produced By: Jana Gallagher, Michael Wormser, Michael Gallagher, Joel David Moore, Matt Murphie
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Tim Blake Nelson, Jim Parsons, Grace Caroline Currey, Simon Rex
“The Leader” tells the unsettling true story of the religious movement known as “Heaven’s Gate,” the UFO cult that convinced dozens to abandon their lives and await evacuation from planet Earth. Heaven’s Gate shocked the world in 1997, when thirty-nine followers committed the largest mass suicide ever to take place on US soil. The film chronicles the leaders “Ti & Do” (Academy Award® Nominee Vera Farmiga & Tim Blake Nelson) during their fateful meeting in Houston, Texas in the early 1970’s through their tragic and disturbing end in Rancho Santa Fe, California in 1997. The incident became a major global media event—marked by the group’s matching uniforms, purple shrouds, and Nike sneakers. With revelatory turns from cast including Golden Globe Winner Jim Parsons, Grace Caroline Currey, and Simon Rex, THE LEADER redefines what a cinematic portrait of extremism can be: intimate, devastating, and unforgettable.
Filmmakers in attendance for Q&A.