Under the Banner of Heaven

A native Texan raised in a devout LDS home, Dustin Lance Black is now an Academy Award®-winning filmmaker, writer, social activist, husband and father. He won the Academy Award and two WGA Awards for his screenplay for Milk, the film about activist Harvey Milk which starred Sean Penn. In 2018, Black received the Valentine Davies Award from the Writers Guild of America for his body of work. Black was a founding board member of the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), which successfully led the federal cases for marriage equality in California and Virginia, putting an end to California’s discriminatory Proposition 8.Black’s best-selling, award-winning memoir Mama’s Boy was released in 2019. Produced by Amblin TV and Playtone, acclaimed filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau has adapted Black’s book into a forthcoming feature documentary. Black also wrote the soon to be released Netflix feature film Rustin, a biopic about the esteemed civil rights organizer Bayard Rustin, and Black is currently directing the feature documentary Rock Out with Live Nation and Bill Gerber producing.In 2017, Black created, produced and directed the ABC miniseries When We Rise. The miniseries chronicled the true stories of the personal and political struggles, setbacks and triumphs of a handful of activists who pioneered the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The miniseries garnered numerous accolades including the 2017 Palm Springs International Film Festival Audience Award and Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series at the 2018 GLAAD Media Awards.In 2012, Black merged his creative and civil rights work with 8, a play based on the Federal Proposition 8 trial. The play’s casts have included George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Jane Lynch, Martin Sheen and John Lithgow. 8 broke viewership records when it was first broadcast online live from the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. The play has now been staged in eight countries and all fifty states with all proceeds benefiting LGBTQ+ equality efforts worldwide.In 2011, Black earned his second “10 Best of the Year” award from the American Film Institute as the writer of J. Edgar, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and was directed by Clint Eastwood. From 2004-2008, Black drew on his Mormon upbringing as a writer and co-producer on HBO’s Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominated drama Big Love starring Bill Paxton. During this period, Black also penned the screenplay Pedro about the life and legacy of famed, openly gay, HIV positive Real World cast member Pedro Zamora. The film premiered on MTV and VH1 in 2009 and earned Black his second WGA Award nomination.In addition to his creative work, Black was one of the co-founders of the Uprising of Love Coalition that sought to raise awareness of violence and discrimination committed against LGBTQ+ people in the global community. Black also served for three years on the board of the Trevor Project, a national LGBTQ youth crisis hotline, where he established a hotline in Harvey Milk’s former camera shop on Castro Street in San Francisco. And in 2009, Black was one of a handful of organizers of the National Equality March where he demanded full federal LGBTQ equality before an audience of over 200,000 demonstrators on the steps of the Nation’s Capital.An honors graduate of UCLA’s School of Film and Television, Black began his career as an art director before moving into directing documentaries and commercials. His documentaries On the Bus (2001) and My Life with Count Dracula (2003) led to producing and directing TLC and BBC’s hit program Faking It, which received notice for its unflinching sociological commentaries.Black has taught screenwriting at UCLA, Emerson, Bowling Green, USC, and has lectured at countless other universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Penn. He has appeared regularly on the BBC, MSNBC and CNN as a political commentator and has been repeatedly named one of the 50 most powerful LGBTQ+ people in the United States and the United Kingdom.

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An Academy Award®-winning filmmaker, writer, social activist, husband and father. 

Dustin Lance Black HeadshotDustin Lance Black headshot wearing a knit cream sweater with hand on his head

Dustin Lance Black | Under the Banner of Heaven

Dustin Lance Black headshot wearing a knit cream sweater with hand on his head

Dustin Lance Black | Creator, Showrunner | Under the Banner of Heaven

About

Cast and Crew

Video Extras

Andrew Garfield stars as "Detective Jeb Pyre," a husband, father and devout member of the LDS Church, Pyre is a detective in a small town in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley. He is forced to examine his own faith as he uncovers disturbing details surrounding the murder of a young woman and her baby daughter.

Andrew Garfield headshot wearing a suit leaning against a door

Sam Worthington stars as "Ron Lafferty," the eldest of the Lafferty sons, Ron has carved his own path away from his father’s business. With his wife Dianna and their children by his side, he has built a successful career in construction. But having lost his father’s pride, Ron struggles to hold onto his own.

Sam Worthington headshot by a window at night in the dark

Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as "Brenda Wright Lafferty," a daughter of a loving LDS family and bishop Dad, the bright, ambitious Brenda left Idaho for Utah to pursue her dreams in broadcasting. Her life was forever changed when she met Allen in church, fell in love and married into the Lafferty family.

Daisy Edgar-Jones headshot wearing earrings standing behind a wall in the dark

Denise Gough stars as "Dianna Lafferty." The wife of Ron, Dianna met and fell in love with Ron during his mission in Florida. An adult convert to Mormonism, she is fiercely committed to her family and faith, and proves to be a dedicated sister-in-law to Brenda.

Denise Gough headshot wearing a blue and white striped shirt standing outside

Wyatt Russell stars as "Dan Lafferty." After being chosen by his father to run the family business, Dan tries to do things his own way. But Dan’s ways are rarely traditional. Despite the support of his loving wife Matilda, the weight of these new responsibilities proves to be more than he can handle.

Wyatt Russell headshot wearing a beige jacket standing in the dark

Billy Howle portrays "Allen Lafferty," the youngest brother of the Lafferty family and husband to Brenda, Allen struggles to come to terms with his faith after the murder of his wife and baby daughter.

Billy Howle headsot wearing a brown and green striped shirt standing by a tree

Gil Birmingham portrays "Bill Taba," a seasoned detective who spent years on the police force in Las Vegas before moving to the Salt Lake Valley. Murder investigations are nothing new to Taba. Navigating the rules and systems of the LDS Church prove to be a far greater challenge.

Gil Birmingham headshot wearing a striped shirt and placing his hand on his chin

Adelaide Clemens portrays "Rebecca Pyre." Wife to Jeb and mother of their two girls, Rebecca is a strong, caring woman. When a murder case takes Pyre away from his family and causes him to question his faith, she too is forced to choose between faith and family.&nbsp;

Adelaide Clemens headshot wearing a white blue and purple striped sweater and holding a phone with cord to her ear

Rory Culkin portrays "Samuel Lafferty." A middle child in the Lafferty family, Sam is dedicatedly loyal to his brothers, and with a hot temper and firm opinions, he is unyielding in his fierce protection of them.

Rory Culkin headshot wearing a suit and standing by a brick wall

Seth Numrich portrays "Robin Lafferty." Devout and loyal, Robin is a strong, reliable Lafferty son and Dan’s right hand. But committed to his faith, he is forced to choose between fundamentalism and the mainstream LDS church.

Seth Numrich headshot wearing a red and blue plaid shirt

Chloe Pirrie portrays "Matilda Lafferty." A Scottish woman raising two children from a previous relationship, Matilda met Dan while he was overseas on his mission. Marrying Dan was a fresh start she felt she couldn’t attain in the Catholic faith, but now in Utah, she too often feels like an outsider.

Chloe Pirrie headshot wearing an orange plaid shirt standing in a kitchen

The mother of Jeb Pyre, "Josie Pyre," portrayed by Sandra Seacat, is a devout Mormon struggling with dementia. She lives with Jeb, her tenth and youngest child, and has a close relationship with him. But on bad days, Josie struggles with this foreign home and her daughter-in-law.

Sandra Seacat headshot wear a green top, white sweater and purple patterned scarf

Brian Grazer headshot wearing a denim top 

Ron Howard headshot wearing a black hoodie and a "Jacob Burns film Center" baseball cap

Anna Culp headshot wearing black tank top

Jason Bateman headshot wearing a suit and tie

Michael Costigan headshot wearing a white shirt, jacket suit jacket and glasses

David Mackenzie headshot wearing a silver necklace and black top

Gillian Berrie headshot wearing a white top in black and white filter