REEL NEWS
CA Church Turns to Filmmaking
New Song Community Church follows in Kendrick brothers' footsteps with independent evangelical film, How You Save a Life. Plus: Amy Grant teams up with Boy in the Striped Pajamas; preachy films bomb at the box office; Milk promotes homosexuality; Jonas Brothers make big screen debut; and more.
By Josh Hurst | posted 11/03/2008
 1 of 1
With the success of Facing the Giants and now Fireproof at the box office, it's no wonder that more church communities are beginning to consider the option of outreach through filmmaking, financing independent, evangelical movies—and sometimes writing and starring in them as well. Such is the case with New Song Community Church in Oceanside, California, which began production this summer on a new movie called How You Save a Life, which, according to FilmStew, is beginning to draw some attention.
According to the church's press release, the feature-length film is the brainchild of youth pastor Jim Britts, who wrote the film out of a desire to reach a teenage demographic with the message of Christ through the medium of film. Like Facing the Giants and Fireproof before it, the film is strictly a church community endeavor, with all of the filming being done in the nearby area and 80 percent of the talent involved coming from locals. Even the financial side of the process is being covered mostly by local donors. Though many of those involved are new to the moviemaking biz, the project has attracted one established filmmaker—first-time director Brian Baugh, who did cinematography for An American Carol and The Ultimate Gift—as well as two rising stars, Randy Wayne (Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning) and Deja Kreutzberg (CSI: Miami).
How You Save a Life is a pretty heavy story involving a high school basketball player (Wayne) who is trying to cope with a school shooting committed by a former friend. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Britts wanted to make a film for teens "that are hurting." "It's not just a Christian thing," added publicist Lisa Frost. "We hope it will reach a lot of people."
In other movie news:
Amy Grant, Heartland team up for Striped Pajamas (Vimeo)
Holocaust film touted as "impactful, emotionally charged"
Preachy films bomb at box office (Miami Herald)
Religulous, W., political movies underperform against lighter fare
Oscar frontrunner Milk sets forth "gay agenda" (Movie City News)
Sean Penn vehicle debuts, gains notice for political overtones
Come What May attracts many viewers on GodTube (Earned Media)
Pro-life film surpasses campaign videos from McCain, Obama
Tween icons the Jonas Brothers to make big-screen debut (Variety)
Walter the Farting Dog could be made by Farrelly Brothers
The Love Dare prompts praise and criticism from counselors (USA Today)
Fireproof-inspired book is concise, light on specifics
Oscar winner Sam Mendes to adapt Preacher comic book (Hollywood Reporter)
Story of a down-and-out preacher possessed by powerful supernatural being
Joaquin Phoenix retires from acting (Yahoo! Movies)
Decides to focus on music; upcoming Two Lovers will be final movie
Mark Millar planning an eight-hour Superman epic (Empire)
To be released in three parts, a la Lord of the Rings
Shyamalan writes supernatural thriller, Devil (Hollywood Reporter)
Film to be directed by John and Andrew Dowdle
William the Conqueror movie on the way (Variety)
No director or stars attached to the "big-budget" movie
© 2008 Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information. 1 of 1
Browse More Movies
CT Movies Home Page | Now Showing | New on Video | All Reviews
Coming Soon | Discussion Guides | Interviews | Commentary
News & Misc. | Special Sections | About Us
Your Feedback | About Us | CT Mag Home Page
| 
