Scientology angry over German film & wants it blocked

[The Great Zorg]

Q: How many fires can scientology fight at the same time?

A: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Hey hubbard, you F**K: are you watching?

[Type4_PTS]

This movie aired yesterday and crushed the competition! :D

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...ryId=2526&cs=1
German pic stirs auds

Posted: Thurs., Apr. 1, 2010, 3:57pm PT

ARD's Scientology telepic nabs high ratings

A controversial TV movie about Scientology turned into a ratings bonanza for German pubcaster ARD, drawing nearly 8.7 million viewers on its March 31 airing.

"Till Faith Do Us Part" follows a young married couple (played by Felix Klare and Silke Bodenbender) who join Scientology. The husband later leaves the org after losing his money as well as his wife and daughter to the group.
The fact-based telepic was the most-watched TV program of the evening, easily crushing the competition, including the double-episode season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy" on ProSieben and Sandra Bullock starrer "The Lake House" on ZDF.
The 90-minute Teamworx production, written and directed by Niki Stein, achieved a 27.1% share among all viewers. ARD also led among younger auds, who usually tune in to Germany's commercial outlets, achieving an impressive 17.3% share in the key 14-49 demo as some 2.2 million watched the much-hyped movie.
The hubbub also translated into record ratings for ARD's talkshow "Hart aber fair," which included a Scientology rep on the program, resulting in a spirited debate on the accuracy of the film and the nature of Scientology.
Scientology spokesman Juerg Stettler said the ARD film distorted the facts and propagated lies, while fellow guest Guenther Beckstein, the former state premier of Bavaria, described Scientology as a totalitarian organization that was unconstitutional and comparable to Germany's radical right-wing NPD party.
Scientology rejects the accuracy of the storyline, saying that the factual custody case on which the pic is based was far different than how it's portrayed in the film and that the plot present a one-sided story. Scientology also accuses ARD of violating its own guidelines, which call for the support of religious tolerance.
"We are not dealing here with a religion but rather an organization that has far different motives," counters ARD program director Volker Herres. "Scientology is all about power, business and the expansion of its network."
Added writer-director Stein: "There are no good sides to Scientology. We did the research." Munich-based Telepool is handling international sales for the pic, which is sure to generate plenty of buzz at the upcoming MipTV programming mart in Cannes

[Thrak]

The great thing is that people are making money bashing Lyintology. I'm sure the demented one is being steered away from sharp objects as he thought he was the only one allowed to cash in on hubbards drech. Damn shame.

[Type4_PTS]

I'm sure the demented one is being steered away from sharp objects as he thought he was the only one allowed to cash in on hubbards drech. Damn shame.

I like that nickname (the demented one) for DM. Fits him nicely.

Here's another great article (great HEADLINE anyway ;)

http://www.ethiopianreview.com/news/51231

German TV drama reopens debate on banning Scientology


ethiopianreview.com | April 2nd, 2010 at 12:03 am


The first-ever German television drama about Scientology has triggered a renewed public debate over whether politicians should ban the organization. Millions of viewers tuned in to the film “Until Nothing’s Left” (“Bis nichts mehr bleibt”) on Wednesday night.
According to its makers, the aim of the film was to depict the difficulties facing those who leave Scientology when trying to come to terms with their lives again and the threats they receive from the organization.
“We also had to show how people grow fond of the organization in the first place,” screenwriter and director Niki Stein said. “Before you can criticize Scientology, you ought to make clear what exactly people hope to gain by joining.”

Ex-Scientologists in focus
The film is fiction, but according to the makers, was based on hard facts collated from ex-members of Scientology. They reported about their own experiences and focused on the manipulation they’d allegedly endured at the hands of so-called ethics officers in many auditing sessions.
One of, if not the fiercest critic of Scientology in Germany is Ursula Caberta, who’s been spearheading a Hamburg campaign to ban the organization.
“What’s shown in the film still happens in real life,” Caberta said. “People are drawn into the whole thing and turned into mere cogwheels in the system of Scientology in the process.”

‘Campaign journalism’
Scientology itself is not amused about the film at all. The organization criticized what it called “campaign journalism” by public broadcaster ARD. Spokesman Juerg Stettler added that the group had produced their own documentary film to dispel ‘misleading’ elements of the programme.
Stettler also told Deutsche Welle that Scientology did not intend to initiate any legal action against ARD. But he did make clear that he could not identify with the content of the television drama.
“The main point is that the film was made very one-sidedly,” Stettler said. “The makers have never contacted us and verified the information they received only from ex-members and self-proclaimed experts on Scientology.”

Extremist and dangerous?
The commissioner for sect-related affairs in the Protestant Church of Berlin/Brandenburg, Thomas Gandow, criticized what he called the frequent belittlement of Scientology in the media and the indecision of politicians to work towards banning the organization in Germany.
He made foreign policy considerations responsible for many lawmakers’ reluctance to seriously consider a ban. He said that very few were willing to jeopardize relations with the United States where Scientology is officially recognized and protected as a church.
Back in 1997, German state interior ministers did classify Scientology as a politically extremist organization. It has been closely watched by intelligence services ever since. But at the moment, a majority resolution banning the organization outright in Germany is not in sight.

[Arthur Dent]

Fantastic win! Great ratings!!! Yahooo!!!!
Would love to see it with sub-titles. Is there a link
anywhere?

[CarmeloOrchards]

[ULRC/S]

We are in Switzerland but get all the German channels on cable.

My German speaking wife watched this movie and said it was very well done, although she had heard the basic story line many times from other Germans who had left the CoS and joined the German independant movement.

But after the movie was over, she flipped channels and there was a doco on the story of Uwe and his brother who died in the SO of MS. Uwe posts here. (I trust I have his name correct).

And when that finished, she flipped channels again, and the there was a talkshow on Scn with two CoS spokepersons, two who had left the CoS, and two professional religious experts, who she said were the sanest of them all.

Quite a night for the CoS.

Regards, Allen

[Ackerland]

Markus posts here. Uwe is the one who died from multiple sclerosis.

[Krautfag]

Fantastic win! Great ratings!!! Yahooo!!!!
Would love to see it with sub-titles. Is there a link
anywhere?

The subtitles are being worked on. It's a 90 minute movie tho, lots of translation, encoding and uploading. AFAIK there are 2 anons atm currently working their asses off on it, translation is finished/close to be finished...

Expect a torrent prolly tomorrow, video stream maybe a little later.

[Dulloldfart]

I just watched the whole thing, with English subtitles. It was a 985MB download, and plays fine on the normal VLC media player. It was excellent and played pretty much true to life.

There may be some duplication of effort with the subtitles as it's been done already. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good.

It's not for me to disclose where I found it, but whoever told me about it may tell others who from their long-term posting history seem to be legitimate if they haven't already been informed. Hidden data line and all that.

Paul