SCREENING & DISCUSSION

Believer

February 5, 2020

“When I was a kid – if you can even imagine such a thing – the Beatles were all the rage. They used to talk about Beatlemania. Tonight, I think we witnessed a little Dan-mania.”

That’s how Motion Picture Association Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin summed up the energy at our screening of Believer, the original HBO documentary filmed through the eyes of Imagine Dragons front man Dan Reynolds.

The film explores the relationship between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and its LGBTQ members. With a rising teen suicide rate in Utah (where the LDS Church is headquartered), Reynolds’ concern with the Church’s policies in relation to the LGBTQ community puts him on a path for change.

Before the screening, Reynolds talked with Evan Lamberg (President of Universal Music Publishing Group, North America) about the Believer documentary, the LOVELOUD Festival that Reynolds organized in Utah to support LGBTQ youth, and more.

Among the other notable attendees joining us for the screening:

  • Tyler Glenn, singer/songwriter; board member, LOVELOUD Foundation
  • Carmen Carrera, model/actress; board member, LOVELOUD Foundation
  • Rep. Mark Takano (D-California)
  • Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah)
  • Shawn Gaylord, Executive Director, Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus

Learn more about Believer here.

Featured photo: Singer/songwriter Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, left, talks with Evan Lamberg, President of Universal Music Publishing Group, North America, before a screening of “Believer” at the Motion Picture Association headquarters in Washington, D.C., February 5, 2020. (Photo credit: Dan Swartz)