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"The Cornerstone Festival has always been about acceptance and nurturing," Rust says. "I went to a workshop and realized—I can do this. I can make my movie without a big conversion scene."

Nikkel says that the acceptance and nurturing of Cornerstone has added another important factor to Flickerings. "We are developing a community that has a built-in mentorship component," He says. "It's okay to send your story in a direction that doesn't take the predictable route. But when you're out there doing your work, it's scary to think that you might be the only one doing this kind of thing."

Hertenstein sees Flickerings as just the beginning of a large and important work. "We're not interested in the conventional notion of 'Christian' filmmaking. Some of the most beautiful and truthful films being made today are being made by Muslims. There's incredible films coming out of Iran. So we're going at this with a certain humility. It's not about conquering this territory for anybody as much as humbly joining a conversation that's been going on for a long time."

So what can Christian filmmakers bring to the cinema that it is currently lacking?

"I want to create a more authentic window into Christian experience. And I don't mean I want to make propaganda or Left Behind," Nikkel says.

"Where are the authentic Christian characters?" Klassen asks. "I want to create those characters."

Rust agreed that portraying real characters would bring new depth to storylines. "It's scary seeing where your characters will go rather than making sure they go towards a typical coda or familiar ending," he says.

By generating these kinds of goals and conversations, Hertenstein is encouraged by the success of Flickerings. "Hundreds and hundreds of people come [to the films], dusty, weary, and looking [like] characters in Lord of the Flies," he says. "And yet they are eager to sit for hours and watch films, some of which are not well-known, some of which are subtitled. Then, they stay to talk about them for hours. [This year,] we had our first sold out show—although we don't charge for admission—since Cornerstone started the festival. That is a very exciting development."

You can find wrap-up articles on the Flickerings Festival and the Flickerings Dogma discussion at the festival's Web site. You can also learn how to submit a short film for next year's festival.

Next week: Johnny English , How to Deal, and more.

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July (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47