"FRONTLINE stands alone on television as a place inquiring minds can go regularly for smart, tough documentaries that demystify hard-news issues affecting the health of the entire planet."
-Los Angeles Times

WORDS FROM OUR AUDIENCES

I can't get this film out of my mind...you have made an extraordinary testimony and a work of art.
-Lucia, Boston, MA

I have read and heard many accounts of violation of trust at the hands of the clergy, but never have I seen or heard anything as thorough or moving as Hand of God. It is the finest statement by a survivor of clergy sexual exploitation that I have ever heard or seen.
-Les, Tupelo MS

Having grown up in abuse I was astonished by how well this film captured the unbearably lonely place into which child abuse dumps it's victims (a place that I remember well), as well as poignantly showing just how extensive the damage of abuse can be throughout an entire family. -Alan, Stevensville, MT

Brilliant, penetrating and filled with an unembellished honesty that is almost startling...this is such a cleansing overall experience...this kind of film is what a documentary is all about...there is no agenda here except the truth.
-Elaine, Sante Fe, NM

Watching this film touched all my emotions! I cried, I was angry, I was sad, but I never felt alone like in the past...Thank you for making this film, it is the best depiction of what happened to so many young boys whose childhoods were stolen.
-Mark, SNAP - Jackson, MS

I was so impressed. I have seen all them (films) that have been produced on this subject and yours is by far the best. I even laughed between tears.
-Ruth, MA

Please know of my appreciation of your efforts to promote dialogue as the Church and society at large try to come to terms with the devastating effects of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy. The process of seeking healing will be a long one, but with the help of God and one another we can, and indeed we must, make the effort.
-Sean Cardinal O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston
(NOTE: Sean has not actually seen this film)

From Fr. Fred Ruse (Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Orlando):
Paul's resolve to discover the truth (not the same as expose and destroy) showed his dignity in all of this which could have stolen that from him and allowed the abuser and abuse to have won, to have dominated. Paul has offered a good to all of us. It is what I would say is truly Church at its best, Church as Church is to be. That does not mean it feels good or comfortable. It is grace in the midst of the worst in life, meaning grace is possible.

God bless you and your brother for putting out a beautiful documentary. It will always be my favorite film of all time.
-Jackie, MA

We always said while facing some difficult challenges outside the cathedral and other places that we never felt closer to God than when we stood together OUTSIDE the church fence and we know the significance of that. Your movie, "Hand of God" is just that.
-Laura, VOTF Boston

Wow, I'm blown away... I really didn't know what to expect given the sensitive subject matter and the category "documentary."  It's a story... a story about life, love, family, immigration, and faith. I went to school the next day and told everyone I saw about it and I'm coming in tonite to Boston to see it again.
-Patty, Salem, MA

The movie was beautifully done. It haunted me for several days after...Your movie struck a deep cord.
-Ann, SNAP - Boston

Your film left me with more hope than I usually feel after gatherings on the subject. I think it is because it was so touching and warmly human.
-Dorothy, Boston, MA

Your visions playing on the screen were hauntingly beautiful... As a Jewish woman, I feel that your film does not only speak to the Christian faithful in the world.
-Cindy, Salem, MA

This film is the best thing I have seen on the clerical sexual abuse crisis
-Oliva, Boston

Audience Award  Best Feature Documentary Ashland Independent Film Festival
Audience Award Best Documentaryry Kansas International Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary Tupelo Film Festival
Special Recognition Award Boston International Film Festival
Best Documentary SNOB Somewhat North of Boston

WORDS FROM THE PRESS

That rare thing when it comes to works on this theme -- a film informed by passion without histrionics, and a sober and moving family
saga.
Dorothy Rabinowitz, Wall St Journal

...quite possibly the most gripping and illuminating documentary ever made from the point of view of a sexual abuse victim...The film works not only as journalism but also as cinematic art..
Robert W. Butler, The Kansas City Star

“Hand of God" is both an affidavit against the Catholic archdiocese and a novena to the Cultrera son's elderly parents, who revered the church, but loved their children more.
Alessandra Stanley, New York Times

Cerebral...forceful, especially as an indictment of the Catholic Church protecting its own.
Dennis Harvey, Variety

Hand of God is like a symphony that builds through a leisurely first movement, quietly foreshadows a coming tempest, then unleashes itself. And when that tempest comes, it is a fine and glorious example of speaking truth to power. Hand of God is exceptional documentary work.
Michael Moore, The Missoulian

A provocative and powerful movie...Like a great detective story, Hand of God peels away layers of blind faith to reveal the truth.
The Orlando Sentinel

Joe Cultrera wages, in effect, a war of images...Those images function as somber revelations about the misuse of spiritual power.
Claudia Bayliss, South Bend Tribune

Poised and impassioned...manages to rise above an irrational and indignant damning of the Church.
Nina Maclaughlin, The Boston Phoenix

Hand of God needs to be seen, if only because Frontline approaches the subject with sensitivity and a refreshing lack of hysteria. Remarkably, the film manages to strike a nice balance between faith and anger; the result is both humane and hard to forget.
Alex Strachan, The Montreal Gazette

I applaud Joe Cultrera for having the balls to make this film.
Brian Hughes, Entertainment Insiders

The story unfolds with humble determination and healing humor, leading slowly but surely to a kind of proud acceptance that hits home with almost any right thinking person.
Marie Coady, Woburn Daily Times Chronicle

The chilling impact of Joe Cultrera's emotionally and physically draining polemic elevates it beyond a mere movie until it becomes...an experience for the audience to partake in...his film is the most moving documentary since "Grizzly Man."
John Thomason, Orlando Weekly

What's most remarkable is that this film manages to be probing but not maudlin, largely courtesy of the victim's refusal to be consumed by the effort of coping. Ultimately, the film is not about being a victim of sex abuse but about the blindness dogma inculcates in its adherents.
The Missoula Independent

The press has been quite taken with another church-abuse doc, "Deliver Us From Evil"...That is too bad, because "Hand of God" is superior in almost every way.
Grant Gallicho, Commonweal Magazine

A remarkably powerful and personal film
Kevin McDonough, Lawrence Kansas World

	Ashland Independent Film Festival
	Florida Film Festival
	Cinequest Film Festival
	Sedona International Film Festival
	Boston International Film Festival
	Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
	Tupelo Film Festival
	DocFest Atlanta
	Calgary International Film Festival
	Kansas International Film Festival
	DocNZ: Int'l Doc Festival of New Zealand
	Connecticut Film Festival
	Vermont International Film Festival
	Mount Shasta International Film Festival
	St Louis International Film Festival
	SNOB (Somewhat North of Boston) Film Fest
	Santa Fe Film Festival
	MassBay Film Festival

 

 "Thanks to all involved in the very strong and thought provoking film "Hand of God" I made the above painting "inspired" by that documentary:  "CROSS HAIRS" Mixed Media on Panel 36" x 24" By David Vedoe. Taos, NM. I directly created this painting as an invited artist for an art show at Touchstone Gallery in Taos, NM

The theme was: erotica by local and international artists. The piece sold at the standing room only opening reception February 5, 2007.

I chose to create a beautiful object (from a distance) to lure people closer to examine the deeper content and the context of discussing the dark side of sexuality to enlighten an audience about such atrocious occurrences and prevent any future abuse if possible.

I am an Architect, Designer and Artist, born in Copenhagen, Denmark. I hope this film will be seen all over our planet."

David Vedoe Vedoe Fine Art & Building Design Services, 
art-architecture.blogspot.com vedoe@laplaza.org