The Intercept releases 15-minute documentary on Eureka Springs civil rights ordinance

A new, 15-minute documentary about the Eureka Springs civil rights ordinance was recently made available by The Intercept, an online publication of First Look Media, the news organization created by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.

The Intercept’s editors include former Guardian columnist Glenn Greenwald and documentary filmmakers Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill, who helped bring Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA to light.

The documentary, directed by West Coast-based filmmakers Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher, was first unveiled at the New York Film Festival. It’s the latest release from the publication’s Field of Vision unit, which pairs filmmakers with developing and ongoing stories around the globe.

The film follows the town of Eureka Springs the night the city’s civil rights ordinance was upheld by voters 71 percent to 29 percent.

Palmieri and Mosher said it was an easy sell to get them to fly to Eureka Springs for the project.

“They said — so there’s this town, there’s this vote, and there’s this big Jesus on a hill,” Palmieri said in an interview. “And we said OK.”

From the film’s description:

As the polls close, citizens on all sides of the issue grapple with the roles faith, sexuality, and commerce play in their personal lives and community. Meanwhile, at the largest outdoor U.S. production of the life of Christ, the audience is waiting and the show must go on.

» Read the Q&A with the directors

» Watch the film at The Intercept or on YouTube