How Christians Warmed to Harry Potter

I’ve got a friend who was a young Christian at the time the Harry Potter books came out.  She was excited to share her love for these imaginative stories in her Sunday school class.  But, it’s tough to be a Harry Potter fan in predominantly Narnian environs.  Suffice to say, she was invited to a lot less birthday parties after that.  Now, though, years later Christians have softened their “She’s a witch! Burn her!” stance.

Sarah Pulliam Bailey over at the Wall Street Journal has an article recently about the changing perspective of the Christian Community towards young Wizard Harry and his pals.

(EXCERPT) After praising the “Harry Potter” books in 2001, author Connie Neal said that she opened her inbox to see death threats scattered among the reactions from fellow Christians. The one time the California-based writer found her book, “What’s a Christian Got to Do with Harry Potter?,” at a Christian bookstore, it was on the occult/New Age shelf.

In its early years, “Harry Potter” was a litmus test of orthodoxy for some conservative Christians, who expressed concern over its portrayal of witchcraft. A Christian lawyer sued a public library for encouraging young readers to check out the series. Texas Pastor John Hagee called the books a “precursor to witchcraft.” In 2005 a Canadian website published a letter opposing the books written by Pope Benedict XVI when he was Cardinal Ratzinger. (In 2009, the Vatican’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano published a favorable review, seeming to reverse course on the series.)

The hysteria has largely died down, and not many religious leaders asked their flocks to avoid the final movie, which opens today. Potter observers cite a few possible reasons for the waning concern, including a natural desire to move on to other entertainment issues, but also an interest in the themes that unfolded.

Christians today are certainly not universally enchanted by the series. Over time, however, more readers have begun to express praise for its honest depiction of fear, loneliness and sacrifice as Harry faces the evil wizard Lord Voldemort. Many Christians have cheered the portrayals of loyalty, courage and love, as the main character repeatedly risks his life.

“These books are not written for people who have a mechanical faith,” says John Granger, author of “Looking for God in Harry Potter.” “For Christians who are consumed with moral elements and symbolism, Potter mania was ironic beyond words.” Spoiler detail about the movie aside, the idea that sacrificial love conquers power, including magical power, is strongly suggested in the final book.

“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, a member of the Church of Scotland that has Presbyterian roots, initially avoided talking explicitly about her faith. “To me, the religious parallels have always been obvious,” Ms. Rowling said in 2007. “But I never wanted to talk too openly about it, because I thought it might show people who just wanted the story where we were going.”

Ms. Rowling is hardly the first author to face misunderstanding from a religious audience. Before C.S. Lewis became well known as a Christian, he noted that most British reviewers missed the underlying theology in his science fiction “Space” trilogy. Christian writer Madeleine L’Engle was criticized by some for the magic elements in “A Wrinkle in Time.” On the other hand, J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” appeared to escape similar scrutiny despite his characters’ use of magic.

Since the seventh Potter book came out in 2007, Ms. Rowling—who acknowledged the influence of Tolkien and Lewis on her work—has drawn more explicit religious parallels. She suggested that the two Bible verses found on tombstones in the final book almost epitomized the whole series: “And the last enemy that shall be defeated is death” and “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Mr. Waliszewski suggests that Christian families whose children express interest in the books use them as a teachable moment. “When you see self-sacrifice, heroism, the strong power of friendship, applaud it,” he said. “I am more concerned about non-Christians reading the books because I do think it puts witchcraft in a light that is more favorable and positive than it deserves biblically.”

Ms. Neal, for her part, is not worried about anyone reading the books. Rather than being a means for corrupting the youth with witchcraft and the like, she says, “The Harry Potter phenomenon was the greatest evangelistic opportunity that the church has missed.”

For the full article head over to the Wall Street Journal.

INTERVIEW: Gary Wheeler Premiere’s “The Trial”

The production value standard for the faith-based film market has just been raised. (Finally!) Gary Wheeler’s “The Trial” sweeps across the screen with stunning imagery, and well-defined characters in a John Grisham-esque story that stays one step ahead of the audience the whole time.

Matthew Modine gives a solid performance as Mac, a grief-stricken man tortured by his past who has a chance to help one kid reclaim his future. But Wheeler doesn’t stop there and sell this great story short. Instead, he loads up the rest of this high-stakes drama with a cast of exceptional actors all the way down to the day players.

To me, “The Trial” is actually a lot like the cool Christian kid from High School with whom you could actually hangout and be seen with and not embarrassed to introduce to your friends. And for that we thank you, Gary Wheeler and Team.

Wired4Film had a chance to catch up with Gary after the film’s premiere in Davidson, NC and pick his Writerly-Directorly brain.

WIRED4FILM: Congratulations on a beautiful and moving film, Gary. You’ve got a lot to be proud of on this one. Tell the truth now, are you secretly writing Academy Award speeches? You know, “just in case”?

GARY WHEELER: Thanks David, glad you liked it. I think I stopped prepping Oscar speeches when I turned 16.

W4F: Hm.  Well I’m on the 42nd draft of my Oscar speech and I still feel like I’m leaving something out — like actually making a film, perhaps.  Anyway, back to “The Trial”, do you think you accomplished every goal you set out for on this film?

GARY WHEELER: I think our main goals were to make a film that was both artistically excellent and spiritually powerful. I think we did the best job we could at both. To Kill a Mockingbird is my favorite film of all time and I really wanted to make this film as an homage to that as well.

W4F: How long has this journey taken you from the writing phase to the funding to the pre-pro to the production and post?

GARY WHEELER: It all runs together, but I think we started the adaptation in the Spring of 2008 and finished it by the end of the year. In July of 2008, we had a commitment of full funding and began casting in Feb 2009. At the last minute, we lost our funding and started over. We raised the rest of the funds and began principal photography mid-October – mid-November. We “locked picture” in January and did the final mix in April. So, it was about a 24 month process.

W4F: Can you talk a bit about the Cinematography of the film headed by Tom Priestly?

GARY WHEELER: Tom is a good friend/mentor and this was our second film together. He has done some very big iconic films in his career and it’s great to work with someone of his experience.

W4F: Were there films you both screened in preparation for “The Trial” to inspire a particular look and feel?

GARY WHEELER: We watched A LOT of courtroom movies: To Kill a Mockingbird, A Few Good Men, The Verdict, The Rainmaker, Runaway Jury. Tom has done five films with Sidney Lumet so I think The Verdict was the most similar.

W4F: What lead ultimately to your choice to shoot with the RED Camera?

GARY WHEELER: Why did we shoot with the RED? Money! Just kidding.

It does save a lot of time (and time is money) in production and post. It allows you to move faster through the editing process and save money on film stock, etc.  We used two cameras for about half of the shoot, including all of the courtroom scenes.

W4F: Some of your camera moves seemed rather complex moving/dolly shots that pay off beautifully on-screen. How/when do you as Director choose to move the camera within a scene?

GARY WHEELER: Tom and I always say that if the camera isn’t moving we want someone moving in the frame and if someone isn’t moving in the frame than the visual better be interesting. So we try to keep it moving… it’s called motion pictures right?

I think on this film, more than any I’ve done, we tried to move for dramatic effect. The courtroom setting allows for that pretty well.

W4F: I know there was some 11th hour casting going on for the part of Mac, played by Matthew Modine? Can you tell us that story because within it, the entire film almost unravels a couple of times, right?

GARY WHEELER: Matthew is a great guy and a good friend. He was #1 on our list of choices but wasn’t available because he was doing a play when we originally planned to shoot the film. Two weeks before we were set to open our production offices, a portion of our funds fell through. A LARGE portion. So we started over and when we were ready to go again (six months later), he was available – eight days before we were ready to shoot! It’s pretty stressful and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else.

He was an invaluable collaborator on all of the creative elements of the film and he even saw the very earliest cut of the movie and made some suggestions. He really is a great and talented guy.

W4F: I read that this is your second chance working with Robert Whitlow who wrote the novel, “The List.”  What were some of the challenges/opportunities in working with a screen adaptation of a best-selling novel?

GARY WHEELER: Robert’s great and above all he writes good stories that are easily translatable to the big screen. I am one of the biggest fans of the novels that we have adapted. If I weren’t, I wouldn’t have the passion to keep making the films.

The basics of the THE TRIAL as a novel are that it is a tight courtroom drama which is what we decided to focus on for the adaptation. What I like to say is that 80% of the movie is from the book but that represents about 20% of the novel.

We basically turned a 450 page novel into a 95 page script. Not easy. But we worked off a great screenwriting model called Save The Cat by Blake Snyder. It really helped. We focused on Mac’s story and what it takes to overcome immense grief. With that in mind, Robert really wanted to heighten that grief so we made Mac a little more miserable at the beginning of the movie and put a little more tension between he and Ray than what was in the novel.

W4F:  Alright now, Wheeler, you know I gotta meddle just a smidge and back-seat direct for a sec so here it is…script-wise I think I have only two regrets: One is that apart from the opening scene where he almost commits suicide, all that angst gets buried somehow until the very end at his low point when it all bubbles up to the surface on your emotional 2-minute dolly shot. We revisited it subtly a couple of times with Dr. Anna Wilkes, but never as overtly as the first scene…was that intentional? Secondly, do you feel like you missed a chance at throwing in some action sequences by not peppering Act II with blurred out scenes of the night in question with the two cars, the crime, etc? Or was that a more obvious budget choice?

GARY WHEELER: Ha! Everybody’s a critic David!

Sure, I would obviously change a few things with every movie I’ve made but I think I’d change the least about THE TRIAL. We did have both the crime and Mac’s original accident in versions of the script but ultimately we went a little more subtle and the movie moves really fast anyway.

I think the budget affects everything and if we had more money, which would mean more shooting days we would probably have added Mac’s accident. As for revisiting the angst, I don’t know. Maybe? We do have him visit the graves repeatedly; have him reflect at the prison; talk with his assistant, etc.

The exciting thing as a filmmaker is that this film get’s treated seriously and like “a real movie”. People ask questions and have opinions about it. That is great!

I mean I had the same kind of questions about INCEPTION – which I loved.

W4F: Fair enough.  So, what was it you mentioned about Fox sending you a list of 80 people they thought could play the role of Mac? How were they involved in your development process? Were there special hoops you had to go through with them to ensure their distribution of the DVD?

GARY WHEELER: This is our second 20th Century Fox film and the process was really simple and easy. We sent them the script and they gave us some notes which we incorporated (it helped the film). They also weighed in on cast (we all wanted Matthew from the start) and then they jump in with the marketing etc. It’s pretty easy and painless! I have a very good relationship with the Senior Vice President of Acquisitions for Home Entertainment which helps of course.

W4F: Speaking of money, in a world where filmmakers are putting productions together with shoestring and bubblegum and tinfoil, you actually had a budget! That’s crazy talk! How does that happen exactly? And was that an “investors” thing or a “donations” route or lots of car washes or what?

GARY WHEELER: It was all investors. They are friends of ours and jumped in with both feet. The key is to manage the budget in a wise way. Spend money in the right places and treat everyone fairly.

W4F: How often does Gary Wheeler the Producer clash on set with Gary Wheeler the Director? Is it difficult wearing both those hats? Not to mention Gary Wheeler the writer who’s all: “Hey, that’s not the line, Modine! Say it like I wrote it!”

GARY WHEELER: The three Gary Wheeler’s rarely argue because Gary Wheeler – the Producer always wins! That’s a hard hat to take off and when you know every investor personally, you don’t want to waste time or money so you find creative ways to solve problems. It’s a pretty liberating feeling but it is hard to be the lead Producer and the Director. On our next Whitlow film, I’m just producing which is exciting to me.

W4F: I know you get a lot of scripts and story solicitations across your desk…how is it you go about choosing each of your projects? What is it about them that has to grab you? Specifically what is it about “The Trial” that made you think you’d like to spend the next year of your life making that into a film?

GARY WHEELER: For me it is all about communicating hope. I want to make movies that are hopeful and that is what attracted me to the novel THE TRIAL. I knew it would leave audiences feeling good when they left. I also knew it would be a good next step after THE LIST.

W4F: How is it you go about blocking your scenes? Are you a storyboarder? Or do you just know what you want on set or do you have to sorta feeeeeeel it out the day of? How does that process work for you and how do you involve your actors in that?

GARY WHEELER: I work very closely with Tom Priestley and we shot list about 80-90% of the film. It’s a place to start but you obviously want to give the actors room to breathe.

In the courtroom scenes we would remove everyone except for the cast and the crew department heads. We would rehearse the scenes a few times so that the cast could get comfortable and then we’d decide on our first shot and move forward. It is a pretty quick and efficient process.

W4F: So I understand you’ve gotten a DVD distribution deal with 20th Century Fox for a November 2010 release, but my question is, if “Hot Tub Time Machine” can get into the theaters, why isn’t “The Trial” on 3000 screens across the U.S.? I mean, certainly as more theaters go digital, isn’t this process getting cheaper and/or easier?

GARY WHEELER: It will get cheaper and easier but that will happen over time. We feel very fortunate with the deal we have. Our plan is to start in NC and go wider theatrically from there and the DVD will happen before the end of the year.

W4F: You really did pull off a very delicate balance of tension against humor, darkness vs hope, strong themes but not preachy, etc. How is it you walk that line so well?

GARY WHEELER: I think you can chalk that up to the screenplay and the casting. The script really turned out to be a very tight story and we ended up getting a great cast from top to bottom. We also tried to have strong character arcs for a lot of the cast. For example, Bob Gunton’s character is a lot more well rounded that might be typical in this type of story.

Even though we had Matthew Modine, Bob Forster and Bob Gunton we had people like Nikki Deloach and Danny Vinson to add some humor.

W4F: After a production surrounded by so many crew and location headaches, etc, do you look forward to kicking back in an edit room for a couple months to cut the film together? Is the film in fact being cut while you’re in production so you can reference scenes and footage immediately or do you separate the two so you can be completely present at both?

GARY WHEELER: Post production moved really fast and efficient. I had an editor and assistant editor cutting the whole time we shot. They brought me scenes on set; I made notes and they re-cut. One week after principal photography I was able to see a rough cut of the whole film.

This was my second film with Jonathan Olive (the editor) and we have a lot of trust so it moves faster.

W4F: You’ve also had some public screenings of the film already, too. What’s been the general reaction to the film and are there specific instances of feedback where people’s lives are being impacted by the actual story of healing and renewal and second chances and awesome acting and stellar camera work?

GARY WHEELER: We’ve had a lot of screenings around the world now and the reaction is almost always the same – “wow, that is a good movie.”. I haven’t quite figured out what it is yet and I’m not saying everyone loves it but the general reaction has been positive.

The cast almost always gets kudos and Matthew is so sympathetic and likeable that I think he sets the tone for the whole film.

W4F: I believe it was Whitlow that quoted Modine as saying that this was one of the “most peaceful sets he’d ever worked on.” What did that mean and how was that accomplished? Forced nap times, like in Kindergarden, or what?

GARY WHEELER: I just am not a big fan of yellers and yelling. So we keep it pretty peaceful; laugh a lot and make sure that people are enjoying themselves.

I feel like it is my job to create a peaceful environment for creative people to create. The rest takes care of itself.

W4F: And, fertile myrtle, I understand that you’ve already got another film in development. Are you ideally tackling a film per year or is it just working out that way? Are you trying to give Tyler Perry a run for his money? Talk to us about this next project of yours.

GARY WHEELER: I think they teach you in filmmaker school to say “I have several projects in various stages of development”. So I could say that as well but we do have a script ready for the next Robert Whitlow adaptation – JIMMY. We plan on shooting it soon. I will produce and Mark Freiburger (one of the Producers on THE TRIAL) will be directing.

It too is a great story and the script is really powerful.

W4F: Thanks again, Gary for taking time out to talk with Wired4Film.

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We are pleased to announce that THE TRIAL will be released nationally on DVD November 9, 2010. The DVD, released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, will be available at all major retailers and video rental stores.

For a great deal (and to support a great company), you can pre-order the film at
http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=3495

Priest Fights Gangs With ‘Boundless Compassion’

With 3 or 4 Jesus movies clogging up the Christian Film pipeline, I can tell we’re in need of some fresh film ideas.  Wired4Film is only happy to oblige with this very unique, non-bible-drama, non-end-times-drama story that came through the NPR newswire.

It centers around a Priest who has counseled over 12,000 gang members over the last 20 years through his Homeboy Industries Ministry in the City of Angels.

(EXCERPT)  Homeboy Industries is the largest gang-intervention program in the country, serving the needs of thousands of East Los Angeles gang members who are looking for a way to leave the streets behind. Its motto is: “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.” For the past 20 years, the Rev. Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit priest who started Homeboy, has mentored and counseled the more than 12,000 gang members who pass through Homeboy each year to learn job skills, get their gang tattoos removed and attend therapy sessions on everything from alcohol abuse to anger management.

Rev. Gregory Boyle, Homeboy Industries of Los Angeles

In the past three years, Boyle explains, Homeboy moved to a new headquarters to provide more room for the five businesses it runs for ex-gang members. In that time, Homeboy quadrupled the number of people it serves. Now, the operation is in severe financial trouble. On May 14, Boyle had to lay off most of the employees working at Homeboy. He has stopped taking a paycheck.

“We’ve been in trouble since November,” Boyle tells Terry Gross. “We sort of publicly announced and we got from November to here. But what we really needed was that $5 million cushion when we moved to our new headquarters three years ago to really factor that in. We built the building and … suddenly, we didn’t double the people we served. We quadrupled the people we served. The place was packed and the recession only added to the need and the fact that we’re the only game in town. There is no other place that people go to, so it was hard and we sort of needed an angel and we didn’t get it.”

Boyle recently published a memoir, Tattoos on the Heart, which recounts his decision to leave his position at the Dolores Mission Church in Los Angeles in 1992 to focus on helping ex-gang members find jobs. He says that he looks at his position as a calling.

“I don’t save people. God saves people. I can point them in the right direction. I can say, ‘There’s that door. I think if you walked through it, you’d be happier than you are.’ “

What are you waiting for?  Go find yourself a good producer, option the rights to the story and then hire a professional scriptwriter!  This story is gold!  It could be the next “Chariots of Fire”!

Oh, and one more thing.  Make it a comedy.  There is PLENTY of mushy gushy heartwearming stuff and gang violence and themes like that in this story to weigh it down emotionally.  So you’re going to have to balance it out with laughs.

Also, do NOT even think about putting Erik Estrada in this film.  I personally will graffiti your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life when St. Pete’s not looking.

You can read the FULL STORY HERE at NPR.org

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Outlook for Faith-Based Films 6 Years After ‘Passion’

Here’s a great Christian Film update from Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith over at BeckSmithHollywood.com that we uncovered recently.

(EXCERPT) It’s been six years since “The Passion of the Christ” made history with its $611 million world-wide box office gross, its groundbreaking church-based promotional roll-out and its rendering of proof that there was an audience for a great Christian film.  After that, there was a spurt of activity toward faith-themed movie and TV productions in Hollywood.  So what’s happened?

Some things did indeed get made.  “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” became a roaring success for Disney with a $745 million worldwide box office take, sequels and merchandising galore.  New Line’s “The Nativity Story” took in $604 million.

Then there are the film and TV productions that don’t have Christian themes, per se, but do express faithful ideals and might not have gotten made – or made quite the same way – had it not been for the industry’s recognition that there is an underserved segment of the audience out there hungry for inspirational fare.  “Amazing Grace,” the historical film about British abolitionist William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd), counts church regular Patricia Heaton among its producers.

Tyler Perry’s comedies contain the family values he and his devoted audience, made up largely of African-American churchgoers, hold dear.

The Christian film niche market is busy, with dozens of active production companies bringing forth a stream of product.  The most successful of those in terms of box office is Kirk Cameron’s “Fireproof,” which surprised everyone with a domestic gross of more than $33 million in 2008 – the highest of any independent film that year, followed by $28.5 million in DVD sales.

David Nixon, who was one of the producers of “Fireproof” as well as its popular predecessor, “Facing the Giants,” has “Letters to God” now in release.

More films of interest to Christians are on the way as well, including Roland Joffe’s “There Be Dragons,” for which a full-fledged church-based marketing campaign is already being planned for next year.  Set at the time of the Spanish American War, it’s about a journalist who is investigating a candidate for sainthood, and discovers a personal tie to the prospective saint, as well as dark family secrets.  Charlie Cox, Wes Bentley and Dougray Scott star in the film, which will show the Catholic Opus Dei organization in a different light than it was in “The Da Vinci Code.”

The true-life saga of a band of courageous Dutch WWII heroes will get a fresh look in “Return to the Hiding Place,” which is due to shoot in July in the Netherlands, Texas and Michigan.  It revisits the story of Corrie ten Boom and her family, who hid Jews in their home until they could be smuggled out of the country via the underground –from the vantage point of one of the resistance fighters.

And in light of our Jesus vs. Jesus article recently about two Jesus films in development, I thought this was par-TIC-ularly fascinating that there’s yet a third.  But with a studio name like Samuel Goldwyn behind them, I trust we’ll be seeing this one on the silver screen first.

(EXCERPT) And coming up on Easter for NEXT year is “The Resurrection of the Christ,” planned for shooting in Israel, Morocco and Europe for distribution by Samuel Goldwyn Films (which also brought us “Amazing Grace,” “Fireproof” and this year’s “To Save a Life,” by the way).  Indie producer Billy McKay — whose credits include “Billy: The Early Years,” the Billy Graham biopic — told Variety that the movie “is as much about the key players as it is about Jesus.”  Expect to see more about Pontius Pilate, Herod, Caiaphas and Judas.  Plus, according to McKay, “We want to bring in the Gladiator dimension of the first century against the political milieu of the time.”

Check out the full article at BeckSmithHollywood.com!

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God at the Movies VFX Showcase

It’s amazing what you can do these days with an unevenly lit, wrinkled-y green screen, some Adobe After Effects and a WHOLE lotta imagination.  Apparently Dan Severs at Journey Community Church in La Mesa, CA is quite the F/X whiz and he’s come up with this promo for their new series, “God at the Movies.”

But that’s not even the best part for the Wired4Film crowd, because give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day, but show a man how you lit and shot and used After Effects to make your fish appear to fly in a King Kong hommage that Peter Jackson would be proud of and he’ll just be eating it up for days, like “nom nom nom, me like VFX!”

Boy did that example go wrong on so many levels.  But you get the idea.  Behind-the-scenes stuff.  We dig it.

Thanks to LOSWL over at Inspiks.com for the heads up on these two little Vimeo gems.

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SAVING GOD Trailer Selected for HIFF, NYPOST Contest

From our friends at Cloud 10 who are looking for votes for their SAVING GOD trailer:

Please visit the site below and VOTE FOR THE SAVING GOD TRAILER. It’s pretty prestigious to be selected for this contest and we’d love to have a good showing. And PLEASE pass on the link and tell your friends and family to vote as well.

The SAVING GOD film trailer has been selected by HOBOKEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (“HIFF”) to be part of the NYPOST.com film trailer contest. Here is information on this very exciting, exclusive contest–through one of the United States leading daily newspapers.

Film fans can get an immediate insider’s look at some of today’s hottest films by going HERE and they can vote for the winner!  The New York Post is hosting an exclusive contest where its website viewers can watch 10 edgy HIFF movie trailers, many of which will be worldwide premieres, seen for the first time by anyone who clicks onto the site! The contest, underway on April 20, will run through the festival’s May 29 start date. The winner will receive a special award at HIFF’s Oscar-like Gala Awards Ceremony.

So, send all of your fans, cast and crew to the link below to VOTE for your movie on NYPOST.com.

Go vote!

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Pot, Truth and Videodiscs

A great article by Tom Khazoyan for TheOoze.com about their unlikely adventures on the Indie Film Circuit.

(EXCERPT)  My partner and I were sitting in the home of an artist in Santa Fe, NM, enjoying a party for filmmakers and others involved in the Talking Stick Film Festival. It was a fascinating group with representatives from many Native American tribes – each with their own unique stories. In the midst of the conversation, an elderly woman began to sort some seeds in a small container, all the while talking with us about her life on a reservation in Arizona. She carefully rolled a couple of joints that she offered around the group. We politely declined, but the experience drove home the point to me that God has brought us into a unique place because of our film, Yai Wanonabälewä: The Enemy God. 

In many of the films presented at Talking Stick, white, protestant missionaries were portrayed as racist destroyers of culture. I am sure that The Enemy God was the only one that gave a positive portrayal of white missionaries in an indigenous setting. Our film even shows a cultural shift away from traditional beliefs in a positive light. So why were we, a couple of white guys who work within evangelical missions circles, there? Why were we invited and accepted graciously?

I believe that part of the reason is that we chose to respect and honor the voice of our Yanomamö brothers and sisters and to make a film that elevates indigenous peoples. It gives us an opportunity to speak to a group of people that are essentially unreached by the gospel as it is presented in America today. We were there to listen and build bridges of respect, even though we hold to a different worldview.

Experiences like this over the past year, taking our film to multiple festivals, has given us a fresh view of the challenges for filmmakers who approach their art from a Christian worldview. I would say the place we most often find ourselves is an excluded-middle; we don’t fit in the current flow of ‘Christian films’ and we don’t fit in Hollywood either. A common end result of aiming for the middle, of course, is that you get shot at from both sides. We have a film that is passed over by some because there is no clear gospel message and by others who accuse us of being racist, genocidal pigs (actual quote from an e-mail I received!) I often joke that we made a film that has something to offend everyone: nudity, violence, occult practices, drug use, and religion. 

In the midst of our struggles to deal with the love/hate feedback that comes with creative endeavors, we have worked hard to develop some principles that can keep us going. First, we must speak the truth that we are called to speak. Speaking truthfully is no guarantee of market success, but it is a prerequisite to gaining a hearing, especially from audiences that might be predisposed to doubt and may never give you a chance to speak.

 Second, it may be that I confirm success of my venture by financial and market terms, or it may be that I judge success on a scale that includes smaller influences on folks like my friends at Talking Stick. I am making the assumption that, for all of the hype, those people have probably not gone to see Fireproof or the Left Behind movies. But, they have now seen a high-quality, authentic story of God’s redemption and power, made in a context and style that they embraced.

Do yourself a favor and go read their full article at theOoze.com

 
 

For more info on the film and filmmakers visit:  The Enemy God

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WWJD: The Movie

From the ChristianityToday.com website is an article by Mark Moring about an upcoming film based on classic Charles Sheldon book, In His Steps.

(EXCERPT) According to a press release from Nasser Entertainment, Charles Sheldon’s classic Christian book, In His Steps, is being made into a film called What Would Jesus Do?

Production by Nasser Entertainment begins in May, but no potential release date was given. The company specializes in made-for-TV programming.  The film will feature John Schneieder (Nip/Tuck, CSI, Bo Duke in TV’s Dukes of Hazzard), country singer Adam Gregory, and Maxine Bahns (The Mentalist, The Lost Tribe).

The film will closely follow the story of In His Steps, following four individuals — a singer, a newspaper editor, a wealthy philanthropist, and a minister who lost his faith – all vowing to walk in the steps of Jesus, with every decision based on the one question, “What would Jesus do?”

Here’s hopin’!

To read the full article head on over to ChristianityToday

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“Widow’s Might” Gets Theatrical Release

(April 9, 2009)  It’s always a great coup to see small independant films making it into theatrical Distribution.  Daniel Millican has four feature length independent films under his belt so we asked him if it was possible to buy your way onto a local theater screen for a showing or a weekend.  His response:

Yes, although to get 100 screens is a monumental undertaking.  The term in film is called “Four Walling”.  It’s where you strike a deal with a theater to show your movie.  Sometimes you just buy the theater outright (by the four walls).  Or you do a revenue share with the theater. 

For a one-off screening, it’s not too difficult.  But to do any kind of multi-day run gets more complicated-especially if you plan to screen during Friday or Sat night.  The theaters have contracts with the studios to show it on so many screens etc… They don’t mind bending the rules for a one off deal, but Warner Bros will get pretty mad if a theater cuts their tentpole movie on a Friday night so that some indie film can be shown.

It took a lot of time and energy to do 7 screens around Dallas and Houston last October for Imposter for a Sun-Thur run.  I can’t imagine 100 screens and trying to get bodies in the seats.  It’s tough.  

When we talked with Millican it was concerning a recent release called, “The One Lamb” which, even though it was not technically ready for a theatrical release, was accepted into Carmike Cinema’s Independent Film Series which gave the film screen time in about 100 theaters across the U.S.

Now, the award-winning film called “The Widow’s Might by 19-year-old John Moore and his best friend David Heustis is following that same path.

(EXCERPT) On April 13, 19-year-old director John Moore’s independent film, “The Widow’s Might” will open in 94 U.S. cities across the Midwest and South as part of Carmike Cinemas and Dalton Pictures’ Independent Film Series. 

“The Widow’s Might”, is a feature length musical comedy produced by nineteen-year-old John Moore and his best friend David Heustis, and is the film that won the largest cash prize in the country, 101,000 dollars, at this year’s San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.

“The Widow’s Might” is the story of two aspiring filmmakers with the dream of winning a national film festival. When an elderly widow faces losing her home due to escalating property taxes, the filmmakers take action, along with their friends. Through political smears and on-set mishaps, the filmmakers face challenge after challenge.

Geoff Botkin, veteran film producer and film festival judge, marked “The Widow’s Might” as a milestone in Christian filmmaking. “‘Widow’s Might’ is a groundbreaking film, even though it is a first feature film from a teenaged director. It is one of the most original high-concept features in recent film history. The story is innovative in ways that can inspire the next generation of filmmakers, many of whom are looking for ways to break out of tired cinematic cliches.” Botkin also added, “This film attempted and achieved a wholesome family message, illustrating the difficult-to-capture functional family environment…”

Read the full article on the Christian Newswire

Theatrical locations and times are listed at the film website,www.WidowsMightTheMovie.com. 

For more information, or to schedule an interview with John Moore, please call 214-934-6850 or e-mail Jennifer Langen atContact@TheWidowsCry.com.

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Christian College Shines in Pro-Life Movie

(April 7, 2009) This article was posted to the ChristianNewswire.com recently.

(EXCERPT) Patrick Henry College in Northern Virginia is the real-life setting for a new Christian film that presents a stunning legal strategy for overturning Roe v. Wade. Released nationally on DVD by Provident Films, the movie “Come What May” tackles the immorality of abortion while accurately portraying the College as a legal debate powerhouse. 

The College is an apt setting for “Come What May,” a pro-life, pro-family film that tells the story of two PHC students who find moral strength to “do the right thing” at the national moot court championship. They put their title hopes at risk by arguing to overturn the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe vs. Wade, while unveiling a legitimate legal framework for doing so.

Released in late March by Provident Films, the nation’s most successful distributor of Christian films such as “Fireproof” and “Facing the Giants,” “Come What May” has garnered praise in nationwide screenings. The movie’s strong pro-life message deals frankly with abortion, issues of marriage, courtship, and traditional values. 

Read the full article at the Christian Newswire

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