The Armor of Light

Two people of faith — an Evangelical activist and a mother whose son was murdered — find common ground in the fight against gun violence.

Film Signature Image
Series
Independent Lens
Premiere Date
May 10, 2016
Length
90 minutes
  • Award laurels-r Created with Sketch.
    2016 News and Documentary Emmy Awards-Outstanding Social Issue Documentary
  • Nominated laurels-r Created with Sketch.
    2016 Peabody Awards-George Foster Peabody Award
    • Director

    Abigail Disney

    Abigail E. Disney is a filmmaker, philanthropist and the CEO and president of Fork Films. Disney’s longtime passion for women’s issues and peace building culminated in producing her first film, Pray the Devil Back to Hell (winner, Best Documentary Feature, Tribeca Film Festival 2008). She then executive produced the five-part PBS series, Women, War & Peace.… Show more Since then, she has produced numerous acclaimed social-issue films, including 1971, Citizen Koch, Family Affair, Hot Girls Wanted, The Invisible War (2012 Academy Award nominee, Best Documentary Feature), Return and Sun Come Up (2011 Academy Award nominee, Best Documentary Short). The Armor of Light is her directorial debut. Disney is also the founder and president of Peace Is Loud, a nonprofit organization that seeks to identify and support women who are stepping up for peace and resisting violence in their communities. Show less

    Other ITVS Films
    The Trials of Spring
    Women, War & Peace
    Co-Director

    Kathleen Hughes

    Kathleen Hughes is a producer, director, and writer, as well as co-founder of the documentary film company Okapi Productions. Among her many films is Two American Families, a 21-year-long look at downward mobility, which recently appeared on PBS’s FRONTLINE. Her 90-minute Bill Moyers special Buying the War, detailing the media’s failure to examine the… Show more Bush Administration’s case for invading Iraq, was called “one of the most gripping and important pieces of broadcast journalism this year” by The Washington Post. From 2008-11 Kathleen was Executive Producer of public television’s multi-platform series Blueprint America, which told stories about America’s crumbling infrastructure. Hughes' other work has appeared on PBS’s NOW and Wide Angle, NBC’s TV Nation and ABC News’ Turning Point, as well as many Bill Moyers specials. Her work has received two national Emmys, a New York Emmy, the duPont-Columbia Gold Baton, the Gracie Award, the Sidney Hillman Prize, the Dateline Club’s Society of Professional Journalists’ First Amendment Award, the Harry Chapin Media Award, the Christopher Award, and honorable mention for the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. Show less

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    The Film

    The Armor of Light follows the journey of Reverend Rob Schenck, an evangelical minister who finds the courage to preach about the toll of gun violence in America. An anti-abortion activist, Schenck questions whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life, much to the discomfort of his colleagues. He eventually meets Lucy McBath, also a Christian and the mother of Jordan Davis, an unarmed teenager who was murdered in Florida and whose case has become a landmark in the fight against "Stand Your Ground" laws. Through their stories, intercut with revealing footage underlining the marriage between the religious right and the NRA, The Armor of Light asserts that even in the face of heartbreak, outrage, and political affiliations, it is possible for people to evolve their opinions, and potentially come together to find common ground.

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