The Interpreter Foundation and Redbrick Filmworks continues to release a new episode of their not-for-profit series of mini-documentaries titled Becoming Brigham each Monday.
Over the past few weeks, they have released the following episodes:
Episode 18: “Was Persecution in Missouri Inevitable? Ep. 18”
How much was the expulsion of the Saints from Jackson County, Missouri their own fault? Could the early Latter-day Saints have built Zion peacefully, or was persecution inevitable once they claimed Missouri as their divine inheritance? When a peaceful people are threatened and driven from their homes, at what point does “turn the other cheek” end and self-defense begin?
The hosts travel to Independence, Missouri to examine the explosive early conflict over the establishment of Zion. The Saints, fresh from gathering to Ohio, poured into the frontier settlement with a sense of divine destiny, believing they were building the literal place where Christ would return. Historian Matt Godfrey explains how this rapid influx quickly created intense friction with the existing Missouri settlers. and explores the multiple causes of the growing hostility: the Saints’ belief that God had given them the land, their outspoken claims of divine favor, their different cultural and religious practices, and especially their northern, anti-slavery background.
Episode 19: “Another Birthday! 225 Years!”
Why does Brigham Young’s complicated legacy—full of both remarkable achievements and difficult decisions—still inspire deep reflection and admiration 225 years later? In this special birthday episode of the documentary series, hosts Camrey Fox, John Wilson, and Professor Daniel Peterson gather at Brigham Young’s winter home in St. George, Utah, to celebrate his 225th birthday.
The hosts highlight his profound devotion to building of the Kingdom of God, particularly through temple construction. They share stories that show the human Brigham: his temper and self-control as a father, his hands-on leadership style, his care for individual Saints, and his unexpected support for the arts and theater. This episode paints a nuanced portrait of Brigham Young—not as an infallible icon or harsh autocrat, but as a dedicated, practical, and very human figure whose legacy continues to shape the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 225 years after his birth.
Episode 20: “Why Are The Heavens Silent?”
What does it reveal about Joseph Smith that even he sometimes didn’t get immediate answers from God during moments of crisis? How can the experiences of the Missouri persecutions help us better understand and empathize with refugees and displaced people in our world today?
This episode explores the intense persecution and mob violence faced by early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Jackson County, Missouri, in 1833, including tar-and-feathering, the destruction of homes, the burning of property, and the eventual expulsion of the Saints from the area despite having legally purchased land. The hosts discuss the difficult agreement Church leaders made to leave the county to stop the violence, Joseph Smith’s distress at the suffering of his followers, and the guidance he received through revelation in Doctrine and Covenants Section 98. The conversation highlights Joseph Smith’s humanity as a leader: even he did not immediately receive full answers from the Lord when pleading for direction, receiving instead the counsel to “be still and know that I am God.”
Watch all the episodes on the Becoming Brigham YouTube channel. If you want to be notified when new episodes are published, just click Subscribe on the Becoming Brigham YouTube channel.
The episodes are hosted by Camrey Bagley Fox (who portrayed Emma Smith in the Interpreter Foundation’s films Witnesses and Six Days in August), John Wilson (who played Brigham Young in Six Days in August), and Daniel C. Peterson (president of the Interpreter Foundation and retired BYU professor of Islamic studies and Arabic). Each episode features footage shot on location in New York, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Utah, as well as extensive interviews with Latter-day Saint historians who are experts on the subjects being discussed. The series is rooted in scholarship. The list of contributors includes historians trusted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Why this docuseries? Many people are aware of Brigham Young as a pivotal figure in American religious and frontier history, but Brigham is also often misunderstood, seen as a larger-than-life caricature rather than as a man. Who actually was Brigham as a man, a father, a husband, and a prophet? The video web series Becoming Brigham debunks fictions and provides surprising new insights into the real Brigham Young. Learn more in the article “Becoming Brigham: The Video Series Premieres.”