Diane Weyermann Died Before The 'Keep Sweet' FLDS Doc Ever Premiered
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The Netflix documentary Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey follows the disturbing story of what life is like in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS church. Former church members recount horror stories of arranged marriages—sometimes to relatives—and child rape, all orchestrated by Warren Jeffs, a man who claimed to be “The Prophet.”
Viewers of the docuseries have probably noticed that the entire thing is dedicated to Diane Weyermann. But…who is Diane Weyermann, exactly, and why is Keep Sweet dedicated to her? Here’s what you need to know:
Who was Diane Weyermann, and what was her role on Keep Sweet?
Diane Weyermann was a producer and chief content officer at Participant Media. Weyermann earned a slew of awards in her career (more on that in a sec). She served as an executive producer on Keep Sweet but died last year before the series aired.
What else did she work on?
Weyermann has worked on a whole lot of big-hitting documentaries. Some of her greatest achievements included An Inconvenient Truth, Food, Inc., Citizenfour, and David Byrne’s American Utopia.
When did she pass away?
Weyermann died in October 2021 of lung cancer, according to The New York Times. She was 66. The docuseries wouldn't premiere until June of 2022.
What else did she do?
A lot, actually. Weyermann “helped change the documentary world from an earnest and underfunded backwater of the movie industry into a vibrant must-see category,” according to the Times.
Weyermann was a former public interest lawyer who shifted into running a documentary program at Sundance, before she was hired by Participant Media. Weyermann’s job was to find, fund, form, and promote documentaries from all over the world, The Times said.
Weyermann’s projects earned 10 Academy Award nominations and four wins, eight Emmy nominations and three wins, three BAFTA nominations and one win, five Spirit Award nominations and three wins, according to her Participant bio.
Former Vice President Al Gore heaped praise on Weyermann after her death. “Diane was one of the most remarkable human beings I have ever known,” he told The Times. “She was enormously skilled at her craft and filled with empathy. It is not an exaggeration to say she really did change the world.”
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