How Gwyneth Paltrow is helping out Scientology this 9-11

Since Scientology’s TV channel (we hesitate to call it a “network”) first debuted in 2018, we’ve mostly kept away from it because it’s 24 hours of propaganda and nearly unwatchable.

About the only break viewers get is a weekly “Documentary Showcase” when Scientology brings in films by outsiders who are so desperate for their documentaries to be shown somewhere, anywhere, that they not only allow Scientology to air them, but also the filmmakers often sit down for interviews themselves.

We’ve talked to a couple of them, in particular J.R. Biersmith, who made a great film about Somali football players, and defended his decision to allow Scientology to feature it as programming on its new channel.

Since then we’ve highlighted a number of other filmmakers who decided to help out David Miscavige and his TV project with their films, but we admit that in the last year or so we had not been paying attention: It was obvious that there was an unending supply of filmmakers desperate enough for exposure on Scientology’s notoriously bad station.

Then, we got a press release forwarded to us from Scientology, boasting about the documentary it will be featuring today on the 22nd anniversary of the 9-11 attacks.

Scientology Network’s Documentary Showcase, the weekly series providing a platform for Independent filmmakers to air films on important social, cultural and environmental issues, presents the broadcast debut of Man In Red Bandana on September 11, 2023.

Written and directed by Matthew J. Weiss and narrated by Gwyneth Paltrow, Man In Red Bandana documents the selfless courage and inspiring legacy of Welles Remy Crowther, a 24-year-old equities trader who worked on the 104th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Described by those he saved as a kind of guardian angel, Welles guided injured, disoriented and panic-stricken victims to safety via an escape route he had located. But instead of taking the opportunity to save himself, he climbed back up the stairway to rescue still more.

Now, this sounds like a fine film, and in fact it’s been out since 2017 and you can see it on YouTube right now. But Scientology wants to make a big deal about it, and so it is announcing this as the movie’s “World Broadcast Premiere.”

The release mentions that Weiss had done an interview for the Scientology Network, and that the Documentary Showcase is an integral part of promoting Scientology:

Fundamental to Scientology is a humanitarian mission that extends to some 200 nations with programs for human rights, human decency, literacy, morality, drug prevention and disaster relief. For this reason, the Scientology Network provides a platform for Independent filmmakers who embrace a vision of building a better world. Documentary Showcase debuts films weekly from award-winning Independent filmmakers whose goal is to improve society by raising awareness of social, cultural and environmental issues.

Look, we understand that filmmakers are desperate to get their work seen, and that appearing on Scientology Network will also get you an interview shot by a professional SMP crew.

But there’s little doubt that Scientology is happy to use the name of Gwyneth Paltrow to promote its unwatchable slate of shows. Did Gwyneth even have any say in whether her narration is used to promote David Miscavige’s expensive plot to overthrow the airwaves?

On this big day, the Shakespeare In Love actress will be helping draw in unsuspecting viewers who won’t be told they’re being sucked into a Scientology promotion.

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Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history

Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea

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