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Church Of Felons

Directed by Jordan Mederich

Documentary
United States | 1 hr 27 min | 2016

Wisconsin is the most addicted state in America. There’s no minimum drinking age. DUI offenders get a slap on the wrist – until tragedy strikes. Those who survive are branded as felons for the rest of their lives.

Church of Felons follows four recovering addicts in a rural Wisconsin church who agree to reveal hidden truths about their criminal pasts. When they speak the unspeakable, the shockwaves reverberate from their own families through the entire Polk County judicial system.

This film questions our perception of addiction and crime in America. With twists at the end you’ll never expect, you may soon begin questioning what you believe.

This small town has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, and a justice system strictly bent on protecting victims. Now that they’ve cleaned up, it’s time to right their wrongs, and ask for a second chance. From meth manufacturing and distribution, to alcohol-fueled arson rampages, to vehicular homicide, these felons are begging for grace….

Are these felons lost to a life of condemnation? Can Wisconsin turn itself around?

Jordan Mederich
Director, Cinematographer

Jordan began his filmmaking career in college, where he studied Theatre and Mass Communications at College of the Ozarks in Missouri. After working in production on hundreds of commercial and informational videos for several local and Fortune 500 companies, Jordan returned to his hometown of Osceola, Wisconsin… unprepared for the reality he’d find.

He discovered that drug and alcohol addiction was taking a shocking toll on his hometown, where his mother is a schoolteacher and his father the pastor of an evangelical church. Many of the victims of this addiction epidemic, Jordan learned, attended his father’s church. As he became more and more outraged about the tragedy of addiction and the seeming indifference of the legal system, he knew that he needed to put his filmmaking skills to use to bring awareness and change.

Church of Felons is Jordan’s first feature-length film. Since its completion in late 2016, thousands have attended sold-out screenings at film festivals, churches, and community centers, followed by emotional discussions about the addiction crisis. The majority of the film’s gross income founded the basis of a grassroots addiction recovery fund for Polk County residents. Jordan’s goal is to change our country’s unforgiving policies toward addiction and the addicted, believing that everyone deserves a second chance.

Church Of Felons Poster

Film Information

Director: Jordan Mederich
Country: United States
Year: 2016
Language: English
Runtime: 1 hr 27 min

Credits

Producers: JJ Kelley
Executive Producer: Michael Giannulis
Cinematographer/DP:  Jordan Mederich
Sound Editor: Chris Beaty
Original Music/Composer:  Tony Anderson, Kai Engel

Connect With This Film

Principal Cast

BIFF - Beloit International Film Festival
BIFF | Beloit International Film Festival