Since its release, Going Clear has been at the centre of controversy surrounding the issues it covered and the subject of its investigation.
As we reported some time ago, director Alex Gibney stated that the Church of Scientology actively campaigned against the film's release and attempted to block its screening at festivals. Now, with the documentary in the running for an Oscar for Best Documentary, that campaign is being stepped up.
According to reports, Scientologists have been turning up at screenings and Q&As of Going Clear and engaged in harassed both Alex Gibney and interviewees in the documentary themselves. There's more. Members of the voting committee for Best Documentary in the upcoming Academy Awards have said that they've been contacted by Scientologists about the documentary.
Moreover, a member of the Church of Scientology is currently making a rebuttal documentary to Gibney's, with the intention being to discredit his investigation and those who featured in the documentary. This isn't anything new for the Church of Scientology.
During the BBC Panorama investigation into Scientology, John Sweeney was repeatedly followed by members of the secretive cult in the aftermath.
The Church of Scientology have, of course, publicly slammed Alex Gibney and Going Clear and denounced it as a "propaganda film", however they have denied that their contacting of Academy voters had anything to do with the Oscars or the Academy itself.
Via THR.com
