Globo is launching on the international market the documentary series "On Behalf of God", original Globoplay content that tells the story of the Brazilian medium John of God, from his childhood in the city of Itapaci, in Goiás, until his arrest for sexual crimes. The case had an important impact on the international community. In six episodes, the series shows the investigation work carried out over 18 months and addresses the crimes and duality of the healer – a man who inspires fascination and disgust.
Conducted by journalist and host Pedro Bial and scriptwriter Camila Appel, the series offers, as starting point, the investigations that led to the first complaints made, exclusively, on the program 'Conversa com Bial', aired by Globo in 2018. Women revealed that, when seeking spiritual treatment, they were sexually abused by the medium João Teixeira de Faria, John of God. The days following the program's broadcast were filled with great repercussion and bewilderment, while hundreds of other cases began to surface. In a matter of days, John of God was indicted and later sentenced to 40 years of imprisonment.
From scriptwriter Camila Appel's first suspicions to the grant of house arrest to John of God in March of this year, the documentary reveals the parallel life of the spiritual leader, his extensive security network and accusations of serious crimes. The series follows step by step the investigation of the team in Brazil and abroad, on trips to Holland and the United States, revealing alleged crimes committed far from Abadiânia, rural area of Goiás. One of the celebrities closest to John of God, host Xuxa Meneghel gives a bruising testimony about her disappointment with the medium. The documentary also analyzes the popularity of spiritual healers in Brazil.
"On Behalf of God" also has exclusive reports of the medium's victims – among them, the daughter of John of God. The studio where “Conversa com Bial” was taped, which started the accusations, was also the stage for the first and exciting encounter of these women, to talk about their stories. “‘Is the story of women and their courage to react. More than just resisting, acting, from the suffering, humiliation and massacre they suffered. It is a documentary about the voice of women," Pedro Bial affirms.
"On Behalf of God" is an original Globoplay series that counts on the argument and creation of Pedro Bial, content direction of Fellipe Awi and direction of Monica Almeida, Gian Carlo Bellotti and Ricardo Calil. In order to shoot the series, extensive archival research was carried out on national and foreign documentaries and TV programs, in addition to the use of material from the personal archives of the victims and the homes where the medium worked in Goiás and Rio Grande do Sul.
The project reinforces Globoplay's commitment to bring increasingly more relevant themes to the platform that dialog with society through original and exclusive documentary series. “Documentaries of the 21st century benefit from the new digital technology, which allows attraction in original and renewed ways, and with great storage capacity. And this stimulates language. Brazil has a huge wealth of subjects and content for documentaries of great value,” Bial concludes.
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