David Petersen (7)

Let the Church Say Amen is a gritty yet elegant portrait of one tiny storefront church that's trying to turn around one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Washington, DC. Petersen immersed himself in this African-American subculture — shooting 280 hours of intimate footage — and has emerged with a story long overlooked by a skeptical press — about how faith and community can act as a life raft for so many. Shooting with a low-profile digital camera, he was able to get up close show more to his subjects, and emerged with one intimate scene after another: one woman ministering to prostitutes and junkies, a minister testifying about his early days as an addict, and a congregation caught in the grip of religious ecstasy. (PS) 86 min.

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