Alexandra Pelosi, the director of the HBO documentary Friends of God, is going to air her new HBO film at the end of January.
This one should be fascinating:
Disgraced evangelical leader Ted Haggard has agreed to help promote a new documentary following his life in exile after a 2006 sex scandal — no longer bound by an agreement with his former church that prohibited him from talking publicly about the events that led to his downfall.
“The Trials of Ted Haggard,” directed by Alexandra Pelosi, daughter of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is set to air next month on HBO. Haggard has agreed to take part in publicity for the project, HBO said.
Finally, we get to hear what Haggard has to say.
We’ve already heard the side of the story from Mike Jones, the gay male escort Haggard frequented.
Neither Pelosi nor Haggard responded to requests for comment on the documentary, which is scheduled to first air Jan. 29. However, a Web site for a Toronto-based entertainment company that promotes HBO and other television projects describes it as “a behind-scenes-look at the rise and fall of Pastor Ted Haggard.”
The 41-minute documentary “follows Haggard and his family as they move from houses to motels as the excommunicated pastor tries to redeem himself and support his loved ones,” it says.
I know exactly how this will play out:
It’ll be a sympathetic portrayal, with Haggard saying he did something wrong but he has asked for God’s forgiveness. At no point will he admit he’s gay. By the end of the film, he’ll be slowly working his way back into churches, trying to reclaim his popularity and power.
Still, I’m eager to see what Pelosi does with this.