John Safran vs God
John Safran vs God is an eight-part television documentary series by John Safran which was broadcast on SBS TV of Australia in 2004. It has been described in a media release as "John Safran's most audacious project yet". It had a much more serious tone than Safran's previous work Music Jamboree. The show was released by Ghost of Your Ex-Boyfriend Productions and SBS Independent, was co-written with Mark O'Toole, directed by Craig Melville, and produced by Selin Yaman. The series won the 2005 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Comedy Series. The show's opening theme is Hate Priest by the band Mozart on Crack. The opening sequence features John in a black suit breaking out of a patch of black scorched earth with his bare hands during a thunderstorm. The words "when the thousand years are over Satan will be released from his prison" are spoken in a low pseudo-ominous voice.
Episodes
Runtime: 25m
How difficult is it to get a fatwa placed on someone? John travels to the UK Shariah court to find out - and he chooses an unlikely Australian rival as his proposed fatwa-ee. Next John takes a spirit walk in Arizona with the Peyote Way Church of God, and ingests the sacred Peyote drug in an attempt at divine insights into the universe. And what would be of our favourite Channel 9 shows if Jamie Packer was to become a practising Scientologist?
Runtime: 25m
John enlists the help of some indigenous Australians to broker a land rights deal with some well-intentioned Melbournians. Next, while traveling in Japan, John is confronted with a koan and attempts to "become nothingness" at a zen Buddhist monastery. Finally, back in Melbourne, John asks a local Freemason, "is Freemasonry linked with Satanism?" - and is shocked by what he finds.
Runtime: 24m
Can a Jew join the Ku Klux Klan? In Episode Three, John travels to Orange County, California to meet the KKK Grand Dragon - and puts forward a convincing case. Back in Melbourne, local Catholic priest Bob Maguire introduces John to the principals of Catholicism Father Bob style. Finally, John muses on his automatic right to Israeli citizenship and offers to share this citizenship with some of his Palestinian friends. But there's a catch...
Runtime: 25m
John learns about a blossoming new cinema niche market, Mormon Films. So he travels to Mormon heartland, Salt Lake City to get a piece of the action. Next, he and his crew travel to political hot spot Haiti and get caught in the cross-fire while John participates in the day of the dead voodoo ceremony. Then, In L.A, John shoots the breeze about political issues with a gun-toting rabbi.
Runtime: 26m
John journeys to Sicily to meet with a priest. But not just any priest, Father Pino - who he met on Race Around The World. And John has something to confess... Back in Salt Lake City, John exacts his revenge on Mormon door-knockers then fires to India to find himself a spiritual guru.
Runtime: 24m
John tries to promote world peace to Palestinian and Israel activists by bringing in Sara-Marie from Big Brother to throw around her 2 cents in the issue to try to solve it.
Runtime: 22m
Encouraged by Australian soccer legend Johnny Warren, John travels to Mozambique to lift the thirty year curse on the Australian soccer team... but will he be successful? Next, back in Salt Lake City, John uncovers the secrets of the Mormon magic underpants. In Sydney, John meets a local expert mathematician and asks, did the bible predict the September 11 tragedy? Finally, John navigates the complex domain of the religious boycott.
Runtime: 24m
In the final episode, John faces his demons, undergoing a Christian exorcism by preacher Bob Larson.
