Signs on sticks, marching, chanting.

"Grace is for Mormons, too."

"Mormons (heart) Jesus, too."

"Mormons are Christians, too."

About two dozen members of the LDS faith, some from as far away as Utah and Texas, had planned to spend their Wednesday evening protesting outside the Horton Plaza 14 Theater in San Diego. The protest targeted what the members say is discrimination against the LDS Church and the movie "States of Grace," which is playing at the theater.

The story started on Monday. Armand Mauss and his wife drove 85 miles to see "States of Grace" at the theater because it wasn't playing where they lived.

Mauss walked up to the ticket counter and asked for two tickets.

"Are you Christianfi" the girl at the ticket counter asked.

Mauss was surprised but responded in the affirmative. It was her next statement that surprised him.

"She responded, 'Well you need to know that this film, it's being advertised as a Christian film, but it's really a Mormon film.' "

From further questions, Mauss learned that the theater's supervisors had told their employees to "warn" ticket buyers about the film. They had complaints from people upset because the movie wasn't what they expected.

"I asked (movie theater employees) if it was a Catholic film, would you say, this isn't a Christian film, it's a Catholic filmfi" Mauss said.

Upset, he called the movie distributors, Mainstreet Movie Co. Others who had experienced the same questioning called in, too.

Filmmaker Richard Dutcher, who lives and works in Mapleton, said that he doesn't cater to anyone in particular -- Mormons or not.

"I'm not just trying to please some nebulous audience out there," Dutcher said. "That is something that disturbs me about the reaction the film has gotten out there. This is personal expression. I'm not proselyting for the church. These are just personal experiences I'm sharing."

It was a phone call from Dutcher on Wednesday telling them to not make a scene and to put the brakes on the protest outside the theater.

"I was kind of riled up and everyone else was kind of riled up," said Steven Greenstreet of "This Divided State" fame. "But I guess that's kind of the point of the protest -- I guess the way we were approaching it wasn't the most Christian way. We decided it would look better to turn the other cheek."

They still went to the theater, but with fewer signs and a smaller group to talk to California media.

According to the synopsis on the movie's Web site, the movie follows a homeless street preacher, an aspiring actress, two missionaries and a young gang banger. The group's lives intertwine in Santa Monica, Calif.

Greenstreet and another local filmmaker, Joshua Ligairi, say that acceptance of the LDS religion is important because they make movies about what they know, which includes their religion. If they are discriminated for that, then they'll be out of jobs, Ligairi said.

Dutcher worried about his viewers, he said he hopes the questioning didn't deter too many.

"Hopefully it has stopped," he said. "And hopefully we've educated people a little bit that it is very offensive to people to be discriminated against in that way. I think I would have felt the same way. I don't think it's the right of movie theaters to screen potential ticket buyers."

A big fan of Dutcher, Greenstreet took off to San Diego immediately after hearing the story to protest with others who were upset over the separation between Mormons and Christianity.

He spent his Wednesday calling people and making the signs. He was excited, and ready to be peaceful, saying before the protest that if anyone asked the group to leave, they would.

However, at 6 p.m., thirty minutes before the protest, Dutcher called. The filmmaker told protesters that he would handle business with the theater privately.

"The movie theater chain, Regal, has been a great chain to work with," Dutcher said. "They are as willing or more than willing to book my films. I'd hate for this to bite them. It was a manager's unwise decision to deal with pressure from anti-Mormons. It was the wrong decision, but she was in a difficult spot."

Dutcher can rest easy about one customer. Despite the delay in getting a ticket, Mauss was glad he made the trip from Irvine to San Diego. They saw Dutcher's "God's Army" and waited for this one.

"It's a wonderful film," he said. "It's a film about redemption of all and every human being. Recovery from even the greatest of sins. It's just really touching. It really is a Christian-themed film. The Mormon missionaries that are in it aren't the main focus really. The most impressive characters are all the non-Mormons in it."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.