San Francisco Film Society presents: MEA MAXIMA CULPA: SILENCE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD November 20, 2012

Director Alex Gibney in person.

Starring Jamey Sheridan, John Slattery, Chris Cooper, Brady Bryson, Larry Hunt
All ticket proceeds benefit San Francisco Film Society.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) exposes the abuse of power in the Catholic Church and a cover-up that winds its way from the row houses of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, through the churches of Ireland, all the way to the highest office of the Vatican. Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God investigates the secret crimes of a charismatic Milwaukee priest, Father Lawrence Murphy, who abused more than 200 deaf children in a school under his control. At the heart of the film are four courageous deaf men—Terry Kohut, Gary Smith, Arthur Budzinksi, and Bob Bolger—who set out to expose the priest who had abused them and sought to protect other children by making their voices heard. It is the first known public protest against clerical sex abuse in the U.S., long before the crisis in Boston, a case that spans three decades and ultimately led to a lawsuit against the Pontiff himself. The investigation helped uncover documents from the secret Vatican archives that show the Pope as both responsible and helpless in the face of evil. — Film Forum