Geoff Pingree visits Mormon Book Reviews. to talk with Steve and Rebecca about his highly celebrated documentary, “The Return of Elder Pingree - Memoir of a Departed Mormon.” The documentary represents an intensely personal quest to find meaning and truth by returning to Geoff’s mission field in Guatemala decades later. Geoff discusses what led to his decision to undertake the project and why it took over 13 years to complete. They discuss his personal faith journey, the reaction to the documentary, his relationship with his family, his incredible career as a documentary filmmaker, award winning photographer, writer, and more.
The Return of Elder Pingree—Memoir of a Departed Mormon is the third major film project by Professor of Cinema Studies Geoff Pingree. For years, he avoided telling his deeply personal story.
Pingree discusses the path that led him to documentary filmmaking, and why his latest project took 15 years to complete.