“Friends are God’s apology for relations.”
~ Hugh Kingsmill
At the Gideon’s Flame Christian Film Festival
October 30th, 2009
A New Life has been invited to Manila’s Gideon’s Flame Christian Film Festival. I was invited to speak briefly before the screening. Here is what I said:
Thank-you for selecting “A New Life” for inclusion in your film festival.
When I was in film school I attended a book reading group at a local Baptist Church. We read a “God Story’ each week and discussed it. The discussions were fairly dull until we got to Mary Brown’s A New Life. Then the Christians divided on what we thought of the Christians in the story. Were they examples of bad Christians or good Christians? Did they succeed or fail? Was the heroine better or worse off after having encountered them? And finally, did they further the Kingdom of God or embarrass it?
I had been praying for an idea for my first film after graduation and thought maybe this one might provide the basis. The author herself agreed, and as the production demands fell into place I came to believe I had found a means to glorify God through film, my goal in venturing out of theater into the world of movie-making.
The film has both confirmed what non-Christians believe about Christians and again divided Christian viewers over the same questions as the short story.
How does a Christian filmmaker determine if his film is a success? Does he use the world’s standards – audience popularity, invitations to film festivals, awards, box office receipts? Or is there another standard for Christian filmmakers to use?
In his book on acting for the camera, Patrick Tucker distinguishes the stage actor as playing for the numerous people in the auditorium, while the film actor plays for what he calls “An Audience of One” – the camera lens.
I believe the Christian filmmaker, unlike the secular filmmaker, creates for his Audience of One. But in this case not for a camera lens, but for the Creator God Himself. I believe that a Christian filmmaker succeeds if God is glorified either within the film narrative itself or in the impact the film has on one who watches the film.
Does the Kingdom of God break into the life of a character? Does the Kingdom of God break into the life of even a single viewer of the film? If so, I believe God is glorified and the Christian filmmaker has pleased his Audience of One. To paraphrase St. Paul, “so neither is he who films or he who shows the film anything, but only God, who makes His Kingdom grow through the film…. For it is God who worked in your film to will and act according to His divine purpose.”
May God bless you, may His Kingdom come, and may His will be done in all your film experiences.
A New Life Heads to the Phillipines
September 11th, 2009
My film “A New Life”, based on the short story by Mary Ward Brown, has been selected to be screened at the GIDEON’s FLAME CHRISTIAN FILM FESTIVAL, November 3-7, 2009 in Legaspi Village, Makati, the Phillipines.
“2009 marks the 95th year of existence of the Union Church of Manila. Its main purpose is to spread the WORD OF GOD so that its members and their sphere of influence can be United, Centered, and Maturing in Christ. The UCM strives to attain its goal through various ways. One of these is to encourage the production and distribution of local and foreign Christian films so that this innovative and easily absorbed and assimilated medium can further God’s Word in the hearts and minds of the viewing public.
“It is an accepted fact that films are a powerful force that can influence man’s actions. To this end, the UCM Library Committee launched the 1st Christian Film Festival 2 years ago which culminated in April 2008 with a weeklong showing of Christian films ending with the Awards Night. The team and those involved were encouraged to repeat the activity by both participants and those who were blessed by the films. Thus the holding of the 2nd Christian Film Festival, renamed the GIDEON’S FLAME CHRISTIAN FILM FESTIVAL, which will be the last major activity of UCM’s 95th year celebration. The Festival will culminate with weeklong activities from November 3-7, 2009.
“The name is meant to emphasize that God’s great power can manifest even through seemingly small and weak ways to gain HIS purpose. This event will showcase educational, inspirational, and empowering films even as it encourages young talents to channel their knowledge and expertise to spread the Gospel to their public.
“The GFCFF will commence with a cocktail hour at 6:30 pm on the 3rd of November. Then from 6-9 pm of the same evening up to November 7, three films will be shown daily. These showings are open to the public free of charge.
“The Gideon Flame Award will be given to the prize winner. Critically acclaimed foreign and local films will be interspersed with the entries. On the last day, November 7, Saturday, starting 9 am, children will be treated to films appropriate to their ages. The event will culminate with the closing ceremony, the recognition rites, and the awarding of prizes.”
Christmas as Revelation
December 24th, 2008
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.
We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.
Time and Surprise at Christmas
December 14th, 2008
The second installment of Anne Rice’s Christ the Lord, The Road to Cana, climaxes with important discussions of time and surprise, appropriate for consideration at this time of the year.
Meditation on Matthew 22: 34-46 – Bates College Chapel – 10/26/08
October 26th, 2008
Matthew 22:34-46
“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet’?
If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.”
This passage seems appropriate for the time of the year when students and professors are preoccupied with questions and answers – midterm examination time. Students imagine professors devising trick questions, and wonder how they can ever do all they need to do to pass the exam, or possibly learn everything they need to know to pass the course.
In today’s passage, Jesus is asked questions, answers questions, and stumps the great minds of his day with a question of his own.
“A New Life” Heading to Atlanta
September 13th, 2008
“A New Life”, my short film, has been chosen for showing at the 2008 KingDom Wood Film Festival, October , 9-11 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.. The festival, considered the South’s premier Christian film festival, selected the film after it received an Honorable Mention in Houston’s Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival in August.
Check out the schedule here.
Janet McGhee Flynn Rubinstein 1926 – 2008
July 13th, 2008
LEWISTON – Janet McGhee Flynn Rubinstein, 81, a resident of St. Mary’s Marguerite d’Youville Pavilion, passed away on July 9. Survivors include her daughter, Kathleen Flynn Kuritz and son-in-law, Paul Kuritz of Lewiston, Maine. She is also survived by her daughter, Jane Flynn Bosscher and son-in-law Scott Bosscher of Ada, Michigan. Her grandsons include Ryan Bosscher, and his wife Stacey, of Holland, Mich. as well as James and Christopher Bosscher who reside with their parents in Ada. She was predeceased by her son Thomas Flynn of Hampton, Va. Her son served in South Vietnam for three tours of duty with the United States Army. Following duty in Vietnam, her son served for many years as senior aide to General Alexander Haig, Supreme Commander of the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium. Sgt. Flynn died in 1995 and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. Janet is also survived by her son’s children Thomas Flynn of Virginia Beach, Va., and Sharon Flynn Mizroch and her husband, Brian Mizroch, also of Virginia Beach. Janet had four great-grandchildren: Woody Fincham Jr.; Andrew Mizroch; Alexander Mizroch and Madison Mizroch, all residents of Virginia. She is also survived by many dear Michener and Callinan cousins throughout the United States.
