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Church Of Scientology Fighting Back Over 'Going Clear' Documentary

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The Church of Scientology is fighting back over Alex Gibney’s acclaimed film ‘Going Clear’, and is said to be trying to make a film about the award-winning documentarian.

It’s thought that 'Going Clear’ will likely be in the running for an Oscar once this year’s nominations are released, after having won three Emmys earlier this year.

But the church, which comes under considerable criticism in the film, has begun contacting Gibney’s peers and members of the Academy via a writer now confirmed to be working on a profile of Gibney for its magazine 'Freedom’.

Gibney also said that he had been approached following a talk he gave about 'Going Clear’ in Los Angeles last month by a filmmaker called Randall Stith, who said he was making a film about him.

Stith has credits for two movies on his IMDb page, one called 'Dead Wrong: How Psychiatric Drugs Can Kill Your Child’ and another called 'Making a Killing: The Untold Story of Psychotropic Drugging’.

Scientology is vocal about its opposition to psychiatry and psychiatric medication.

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Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Gibney said: “In the last few weeks, Scientology has dramatically ratcheted up its corporate campaign against me and those in the film.”

A spokesperson for Scientology then told the industry magazine: “Freedom has been reaching out for some time for a piece about Alex Gibney’s propaganda film.

“This has nothing to do with the Academy.

“What is clear to us in all of this is that Alex Gibney can dish it out, but can’t take it.

“He’s exceptionally thin-skinned to the point where he tried to censor and shame anyone criticizing him at public events. One would think a documentarian would be more tolerant and open minded.”

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The film has drawn considerable attention to the church, which counts John Travolta and Tom Cruise as its most high-profile followers.

Lawrence Wright, who wrote the book that Gibney’s film is based on, said: “The church of Scientology stakes a claim on Hollywood, and so it’s not surprising that it would be threatened by the possibility that that community would examine the church more closely.

“That’s what I think is causing the more feverish attention to the documentary.”

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Image credits: Rex Features/Yahoo