Lauren Knapp

Movies

Pray Away
Sound Recordist
In the 1970s, five men struggling with being gay in their Evangelical church started a bible study to help each other leave the "homosexual lifestyle." They quickly received over 25,000 letters from people asking for help and formalized as Exodus International, the largest and most controversial conversion therapy organization in the world. But leaders struggled with a secret: their own “same-sex attractions” never went away. After years as Christian superstars in the religious right, many of these men and women have come out as LGBTQ, disavowing the very movement they helped start. Focusing on the dramatic journeys of former conversion therapy leaders, current members, and a survivor, PRAY AWAY chronicles the “ex gay" movement’s rise to power, persistent influence, and the profound harm it causes.
Death Row Doctor
Director
Can the vow that doctors take to “do no harm” permit taking part in capital punishment? This week, the New York Times Op-Docs brings you “Death Row Doctor,” about Dr. Carlo Musso and his assistance with executions in Georgia. Directed by Lauren Knapp, the film challenges us to answer the question of whether having a doctor in the execution chamber is a perversion of medicine … or a common-sense act of mercy.
The Sandman
Director
A doctor walks the line of his own morality as he participates in executions, while personally opposing capital punishment.
Live from UB
Director
LIVE FROM UB is the story of how urban Mongolians have used rock music to overcome the powers of soviet-style socialism, Orientalism, and globalization for the past three decades. Through their music, the rockers of Ulaanbaatar (UB) are articulating their own understanding of what it means to be an urban Mongolian in a quickly modernizing city. Ultimately, this is an optimistic tale that will lift the spirits of those who fear globalization means a homogenized world.
Neighbors in Time
Director
A subsidized senior apartment complex provides the backdrop for a meditation on aging, solitude, nostalgia, and femininity.