God Is American


God Is American is a 2007 French documentary film written, directed and produced by. The film is about a religion invented in Vanuatu in the South Pacific.

Plot

The documentary examines a religion practiced on Tanna, an island in the Vanuatu archipelago. Its followers pray in front of an American flag to a prophet named John Frum. According to believers, Frum was an American pilot who once landed on the island, who return one day with bounty they call the Cargo.

Criticism

The shooting of that film was controversial in Vanuatu; the film was accused of being pseudo-anthropological. Some viewers on the YouTube version of this film have noted that the captions incorrectly translate the subjects' Bislama words into English, and other viewers have pointed out that the narrator takes a condescending view towards the people who are the film's subjects.

Awards

This film was selected in 95 festivals worldwide, it has won 20 awards:
  • Toulon International Film Festival / France : Jury Special Award 2007
  • Festival « Etonnant Voyageur » / France : Winner of a star at the scam
  • Honolulu International Film Festival / Hawaii : Gold Kahuna prize for the excellence of filmmaking
  • The Accolade Competition / USA : Award of excellence
  • Mexico International Film Festival / USA : Bronze palm award
  • Twin Rivers Media Festival / USA : Fourth place
  • Yosemite Film Festival / USA : Silver Sierra Award 2009
  • The Indie Film Festival / USA : Award of Merit “honouring outstanding craft and creativity in film”.
  • Nevada Film Festival / USA : Golden Reel Award Winner
  • Mountain Film Festival / USA : Jury Prize Documentary Competition
  • Canada international Film Festival / Canada : Award of Excellence in Film Making
  • Sene film music and arts festival / USA : Award for Best Documentary Film
  • Independent Film Awards / USA Honorable Mention : Winner
  • WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival / USA : Gold Remi Winner
  • ColorTape International Film Festival / Australie : People's Choice Award
  • Filmmakers World Film Festival – Indonesia - Diamond Award
  • HIFF – Headline International Film Festival - Honorable Mention Winner
  • Java Film Awards – Indonésie – Golden Award
  • FICCSUR Southern Cone International Film Festival – Valparaíso/ Chili – Prix du Meilleur Documentaire
  • Eurasia International Film Festival – Moscow September 2018 – Prix du Meilleur Documentaire