A documentary examining the New Orleans clergy sexual abuse crisis is now available for audiences to watch online after receiving recognition at film festivals in the U.S. and abroad.
God As My Witness, directed by Louisiana filmmaker Lindsay Quinn Pitre, provides a deeper look at the fight for justice in the New Orleans clergy abuse crisis, including the experiences of survivors and the legal investigation that helped bring previously hidden information to light.
The streaming release makes the film available to a much wider audience following a festival run that has brought international attention to a story deeply rooted in New Orleans.
God As My Witness Receives Film Festival Awards and Recognition
God As My Witness had its world premiere at the Raindance Film Festival in London in June 2025, where it was nominated for Best Documentary Feature. The 82-minute film went on to receive honors throughout its year-long festival run.
The documentary won an audience award for Best Feature Documentary at the Tallgrass Film Festival in Wichita, Kansas. It also won Best Feature Documentary at the Japan Indies Film Festival in Tokyo and Best Documentary at the Winter Park Film Festival in Colorado.
In 2026, God As My Witness received the top film award at the OtherMovie Lugano Film Festival in Switzerland.
The film’s awards and festival recognition have helped bring greater attention to the documentary and the experiences of New Orleans clergy sexual abuse survivors.
What Is God As My Witness About?
The documentary grew out of Michael Brandner Sr.'s search for answers about his younger brother, Scot, who died by suicide at age 29 in 1993.
Years later, Brandner discovered letters to his brother from a Catholic priest. What began as a family's effort to understand Scot's death eventually became part of a broader examination of sexual abuse allegations involving the Archdiocese of New Orleans and its response over decades.
The film combines personal accounts, investigative reporting, and the work of attorneys representing survivors. Among those featured is Soren Gisleson, an attorney with Herman, Katz, Gisleson & Cain, who represents survivors of childhood sexual abuse in Louisiana.
The documentary also draws on years of investigative reporting by The Guardian and WWL Louisiana.
Documentary Arrives as New Orleans Clergy Abuse Cases Continue to Unfold
The documentary's wider release comes as the legal consequences of the New Orleans clergy abuse crisis continue to develop.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2020 amid mounting sexual abuse claims. After more than five years of bankruptcy proceedings, a federal judge approved a $230 million settlement intended to compensate approximately 600 survivors of sexual abuse by clergy and other church personnel.
Louisiana law has also changed significantly in recent years. The state's childhood sexual abuse lookback law reopened the courts to many survivors whose civil claims had previously been barred because too much time had passed. The current filing period extends through June 14, 2027.
Those developments provide an important backdrop to a documentary that focuses not simply on what happened decades ago, but also on the continuing efforts of survivors to obtain answers and accountability.
Where Can You Stream God As My Witness?
God As My Witness is now available to stream on Relay, giving people who were unable to attend festival screenings an opportunity to watch the documentary online.
For viewers in Louisiana and elsewhere, the film explores broader issues surrounding institutional accountability and delayed disclosure in childhood sexual abuse cases, including why some survivors may not disclose abuse until years or decades later.
At its core, God As My Witness preserves the stories of survivors and families and documents a chapter of New Orleans history whose impact is still being felt today.
