Gloriavale
It’s David versus Goliath as one man fights for his family’s freedom from the clutches of the Gloriavale Christian Community, an infamous and secretive New Zealand cult whose corruption knows no bounds.
To shine a light on current day religious oppression and subjugation is no small feat. It takes insurmountable bravery for survivors to tell their truths against hostile forces who would silence them. It also takes a daring group of filmmakers to observe, investigate, and document such atrocities without interfering. And that is exactly what Directors Noel Smyth and Fergus Grady achieve in the intense documentary Gloriavale, which unabashedly exposes the hidden cruelty of the Gloriavale Christian Community in New Zealand against its most vulnerable members. This tragic narrative of coercion, servitude, and greed follows just one of the many victims, the Ready Family, who were excommunicated from a community that they claim is a treacherous cult in disguise. But how do you save your family from a powerful and wealthy organization that has weaponized your faith and an indifferent government that has turned a blind eye? For the Ready Family, the battle for justice and truth must be brought before the eyes of the legal system, in a desperate fight to save the ones they love.
—Sandra Woof
- Director: Noel Smyth, Fergus Grady
- Premiere Status: US
- Country: Australia, New Zealand
- Year: 2022
- Running Time: 89 min.
- Producer: Fergus Grady, Noel Smyth
- Cinematographers: Gareth Moon, Noel Smyth
- Editors: Noel Smyth, Ramon Watkins
- Music: Jack Vanzet
- Website: Official Film Website
- Filmography: Camino Skies (2019)
- Language: English
- International Sales: MetFilm Sales