This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
One of the secrets of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival — who directed the documentary "Holy Hell" — has been revealed.
The Hollywood trade paper Variety reported Monday that filmmaker Will Allen is the director of the documentary, which will have its first screening on Monday, Jan. 25, in Park City.
Allen's name was not disclosed with the Sundance Institute listed "Holy Hell" as one of the U.S. Documentary competition titles, when the slate was unveiled Dec. 2. Allen told Variety that he kept his name secret so he could finish the movie with minimal interference from members of the Buddhafield, the California spiritual community profiled in the film.
Here is the official synopsis from Sundance: "Just out of college, a young filmmaker joins a loving, secretive and spiritual community led by a charismatic teacher in 1980s West Hollywood. Twenty years later, the group is shockingly torn apart. Told through two decades of the filmmaker's archival materials, this is their story."
— Sean P. Means