A plea deal 'buried' the abuse at a Mexican megachurch. A new doc hopes to unearth it
LOS ANGELES — If you live in Los Angeles, you've probably sped past La Luz del Mundo church, an ornate, 9,600-square foot outpost of the Mexico-based evangelical megachurch hard by the 60 Freeway in East Los Angeles. Founded in 1926, the Christian denomination claims to have more than 5 million followers in approximately 50 countries — and yet it has remained relatively obscure to the general population, even as it has been plagued by accusations of sexual abuse.
L.A.-based filmmaker Jennifer Tiexiera was oblivious to it all too. But when she came across the reporting of longtime investigative partners Rhonda Schwartz and Brian Ross, which alleged that the church groomed members, mostly children, for the pleasure of its leaders, Tiexiera wanted to draw more attention to the story.
"In the almost two years that I've been working on it, I am constantly finding myself just trying to explain to people what it is," says Tiexiera, whose other credits include the 2020 LGBTQ documentary "P.S. Burn This Letter Please." "Meanwhile, I'm sitting in my home in Los Angeles, and I'm surrounded by four of [the churches] within a 10-mile radius. I see it all the time."
"Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo," which premiered Tuesday on HBO, is a three-part docuseries exploring the history and power of the church (which translates to "The Light of the World"), whose congregants believe its leader is an "apostle" appointed by God, to whom they must show unwavering loyalty and obedience. And it's against this backdrop that former members detail
