A failed religious prophecy in Garland, Texas in 1998 splintered a Taiwanese religious group landing 10 of them in Lockport.
Now, 13 years later, producer and director Preston Miller has made a movie based on this religious cult’s story. The first theatrical viewing of this award-winning film, “God’s Land,” will be at the Screening Room, in Amherst, starting tonight.
“Back in 1998, a Taiwanese religious ‘cult’ made international news in Garland, Texas, when they claimed Jesus would appear on TV at a certain time and announce the end of the world,” Miller said. “The prophecy did not come to pass, and a smaller group packed up and moved to your area in Lockport. Using the group in general, I have written and directed a feature length film based on a Taiwanese family within the group caught up in all the excitement.”
Miller explains that when the prophecy didn’t come true, the group had split, and over two-thirds of the members returned to Taiwan, given that they had no working papers and/or American citizenship. The remaining 10 out of 150 people had followed their leader as he claimed he divinely envisioned two numbers in his head, 17 and 78. Chen said that wherever those two number highways meet, is where they should go next. After studying a map, they found the intersection in Olcott.
“Richard Liu, the group translator and spokesman, has rented a two-family home on Akron Road,” reporter Bob Kostoff wrote in the US&J on May 5, 1998, “When the group visited Olcott on April 1, Liu told a reporter that Chen Heng-Ming (Teacher Chen) and his followers left Garland, Texas, under God’s instructions to come here.”
They arrived in the same white cowboy hats and clothes they wore in Texas, in an attempt to blend in with American-Texan culture.
“When they arrived, people weren’t sure what to make of the group,” recalls US&J columnist Julie Obermiller, “Mostly there was a lot of prejudice, and no one simply viewed them as average people with different beliefs.”
Newfane Town Historian Judy Dingledey remembers that the group settled in Lockport, in the area of Monroe and Washington streets. “They walked every day from Lockport to Olcott,” she said.
Today, most of the 10 members and their families have moved back to their homes in Taiwan. The remaining few still reside in Lockport today, and practice their faith the way they did before Teacher Chen came to them in Taiwan, which Richard Liu says is “to simply pay attention to our relationship with God.” They meet for meditations and outdoor services, and overall they live a common life, blending in with society.
The audience will notice a large difference in the film structure of “God’s Land” versus most traditional movies.
“The film follows an Asian film structure,” Miller said. “We produced it on a non-existent budget — nothing but a property available to us and a simple camcorder.”
“I remember the first viewing of the film during the film festival,” says Bob Golibersuch, owner of the Screening Room, “The audience had a really good reaction to it and it was a success.”
It won an award as The Audiences Best Dramatic Film at the fourth annual Buffalo Independent Film Festival in October. The director will be present Friday and Saturday during the viewing, and will be a guest speaker at Saturday’s “Learn from the Pros: Film Making Seminar.” There will be ticket discounts for students, seniors and Buffalo Film Society members with proper identification.
For more information, contact Bob Golibersuch at 837-0376.
Local News
Related Photos
-
The intersection of routes 78 and 18 in the town of Olcott. Joe Eberle/US&J
-
The intersection of routes 78 and 18 in the town of Olcott. Joe Eberle/US&J
-
The intersection of routes 78 and 18 in the town of Olcott. Joe Eberle/US&J
They came from 'God's Land'
- Local News
-
- Sense of resignation escorts AES tax pact
- Town considering WNYLC's request
-
Palace, Hartland get Greenway funding
The Historic Palace Theatre and the Town of Hartland both were cleared Tuesday to receive Niagara River Greenway funding for improvement projects.
The eight-member Host Communities Standing Committee voted unanimously to approve funding requests of $151,000 for the Palace and $244,000 for Hartland, which is planning a multi-phase town park enhancement project.
-
Erie Canal photo contest underway
The seventh annual Erie Canalway photo contest is under way.
Entries are being accepted now through Sept. 7. Winning photos will be published in the 2013 Erie Canalway calendar.
-
Jobless totals drop slightly
Unemployment in the Lockport area decreased slightly last month, but it wasn't because more people are going back to work.
The New York State Department of Labor reported Tuesday about 1,000 city residents were without a job in April, the fifth straight month with over 1,000 unemployed. That was down from the 1,100 it reported in March, however, the number of employed stayed the same at about 9,700 people.
-
Fishing for 'Ultimate' perks
Olcott teaming up with Ontario town in running for Canadian equivalent.
-
Sprinkler work coming
Piping in high school fire sprinkler system will be addressed in July.
-
Willow Street victim identified
The victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Willow Street on Saturday was identified by Lockport Police as Richard Boye, 46.
-
Cutting the travel time
For the most part, there is a lot of planning that goes into traveling. Some like to handle the details on their own, making arrangements on the phone or using travel websites to book hotels, planes, vehicles and so on.
But lately, working with a travel agent is becoming more popular.
-
Marine veteran will be grand marshal for Memorial Day Parade
Stan Moreland, who has served as marshal for the Memorial Day Parade since 1994, will be honored as grand marshal for the 2012 holiday on Sunday. The parade will start at the Veterans Memorial at 1 p.m. and by the time it reaches the court house, the Marine Veteran will be in a convertible.
Moreland, a 62-year-old Lockport native enlisted in the Marines at 17 after dropping out of school. He was served three years and while in the service, he was a welder and stationed in Japan.
- More Local News Headlines
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
