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Christian Filmmakers Creating an Industry of Faith

(February 21, 2009) This year’s San Antonio Independant Christian Film Festival attracted the attention of NPR’s Barbara Bradley Hagerty who did a fair story on Christian Filmmaking in general and the SAICFF “revolution” specifically.

(EXCERPT) As Hollywood crowns its favorite movies and actors at the Oscars on Sunday, another group is trying to create a rival movie industry. Fed up with sex and violence in mainstream entertainment, conservative Christians are turning out their own films. And they’ve made surprising inroads.

If you don’t believe us, take this quiz: What was the biggest grossing independent film in 2008? No, not Slumdog Millionaire. Not Milk. It was a movie you’ve probably never heard of.

Fireproof, starring former teen idol Kirk Cameron, was all the talk of some 2,000 Christian movie fans gathering at the San Antonio (Texas) Independent Christian Film Festival in January. This crowd was markedly un-Hollywood, the men wearing jeans and Polo shirts, the women in high necklines and low hems. The lights had hardly dimmed for opening ceremonies when Doug Philips, the festival’s organizer, told the audience they were drawing a battle line in the culture wars.

“We’re here to send a message to the world that we no longer want our children immersed in toxic media which is in opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ,” he announced to the cheering crowd. “Christian filmmaking is coming of age. Christian filmmaking is coming of age!”

Read the full article here at NPR

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