San Antonio Independent Christian Film Academy (SAICFA)

Wow, what an incredibly encouraging week! I've attended every SAICFA-Festival event since 2005 and I've enjoyed it every time! Just a quick note here for those unfamiliar with all this...you can register for the Academy and Festival seperately if you wish to attend only one event but they have always been held during the same week so it just kinda makes sense to go to both. (Academy is held the first half of the week, and the Festival is held the last half)

Highlights for me at this years Academy were the lectures by Kirk Cameron "Acting" - Steven Kendrick "Directing Actors" and "Behind the Scenes of Courageous" - Geoff Botkin "Story Structure" - Isaac Botkin "Christopher Nolan vs. Steven Speilberg" -  Doug Phillips "Radioactive" where he critiques Food, Inc., Avatar, The Cove, 2012, the Al Gore documentary, and more.

"[the Academy] included messages on Epistemology for Filmmakers, comparison of the acting styles of Marlon Brando with Jimmy Stewart, an amazing Christ-exalting dialogue with Kirk Cameron that ranks as one of the most inspirational messages in the history of any Vision Forum event, discussions on managing sets, unions, and a rousing, hilarious and very practical session on screen tests and acting."

-Doug Phillips

KIRK CAMERON

STEVEN KENDRICK

"Stephen took us on a first look at his latest film “Courageous,” but the substance was a no-holds bar homage to absolute duty of the Christian filmmaker to make hard choices that honor Christ, and the blessings which come from it...The maturity and excellence of the story-line, production values, acting and structure of “Courageous” was so significant, that those of us who had the privilege to be present knew we were watching the birth of something that promises to make headline news as it blazes across the nation blessing millions and changing lives for Christ."

-Doug Phillips

At the 2010 Christian Filmmaker's Academy, Stephen Kendrick (the Producer of "Flywheel", "Facing the Giants", and "Fireproof") presented a keynote message entitled " 'Courageous'-The Vision, The Story, The Lessons." Here's a snippet.

We also got to see several rough clips from their upcoming film Courageous. Let me tell ya...it's going to be REALLY good!! - Movie Website

GEOFF BOTKIN

"Geoff Botkin Wows Us With a Brilliant Discussion on Structure, Story Arc and Beats of a Well-Drafted Script."

DOUG PHILLIPS

"[Avatar] is definitely anti-coporate...it's a very personal film in the sense that when I was a kid...in high school it was the start of the environmental movement, and I made a film in high school about pollution...In the years since, trying to get documentaries funded about the environment - you can't raise any money to do that. Nobody wants to buy that stuff. So I thought if i make a big, spectacular ation science fiction film, I can embed these themes in a movie that people are going to see for other reasons. It's absolutely subversive."

-James Cameron interview on "The View", Feb. 17, 2010

"...the effectiveness of Hollywood pantheists and environmentalists to subvert culture through media, and, second, the absence of a thoughtful response in film from the Christian community because we have abandoned the dominion mandate, and failed to mount an army to take the field." Watch the clips.

I found this bag sitting on a table, and in light of the "Radioactive" lecture...I took a picture of it ;) Now don't get me wrong, I do believe it is important to take of this wonderful world God has given us, but I also believe that there is balance. Taking care of the earth shouldn't be more important than people.

OTHER LECTURES

Isaac Botkin gave a very interesting lecture comparing two very successful directors!

"The Art of Scoring Films," with Oscar-winning composer Bruce Broughton.

A lecture by the young men behind the new EffectsForge company.

David Cook talks about his new film Seven Days In Utopia starring Robert Duvall. Movie Website

- stay tuned for a review of this year's festival!

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Lots of pictures and video used from "Doug's Blog"

SAICFF WINNERS

BEST OF FESTIVAL
Agenda

BEST FEATURE FILM
The Penny

AUDIENCE CHOICE
Runner From Ravenshead

SAICFF - Semi-Finalists

That's right folks, the list is finally out!

Congratulations to all the filmmakers that had their film(s) accepted into the festival!

The festival will be held in San Antonio, TX, Oct. 28-30. If you are interested in attending, there is still time to sign up.

There has also been a temporary schedule of events released as well.

View the List of Movies!

"The Lamp" Movie

Trost Moving Pictures will be filming their next feature film, The Lamp, in the next couple of months. Their first feature film, A Christmas Snow is currently hitting the festival circuit and is expected to release on DVD before the end of the year.

SYNOPSIS:
"Suffering from the loss of his only child, Stanley has secluded himself to a dark and lonely place. Sullen and without hope, he continues to hide from and neglect those he loves despite their attempts to reach out to him.

In what seems to be the final days of their already strained marriage, his wife Lisa is presented with a strange gift; an old oil lamp from a far off land. Along with the lamp comes a mysterious messenger and and a question that causes them to search the depths of their hearts for what's truly important in life...

If you could have anything you wanted, what would YOU ask for?"

Movie Website

"The Penny" Website and Trailer!

Filmweavers first feature film The Penny now has a website and trailer!

I've been able to help with this film in a couple areas: 1) I was the 1st AC (the guy who pulls focus) on this project back in Dec of 2008, 2) I edited together the trailer for the film!

Last but not least, the film will be showing/competing at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival this year!

 "“The Penny” is a drama/thriller that follows a series of seemingly insignificant events in a number of people’s lives. Hidden amidst their “bigger” problems, these disconnected pieces of their lives go unnoticed until they begin to fit together in a totally unexpected way. Suddenly these strangers are thrust together by what some would call luck, chance, fate, coincidence, or even destiny. But is it something even bigger than that?"

WEBSITE: www.thepennyfilm.com

Page on FACEBOOK: Click Here

The Life Project

City On A Hill Productions is producing a film series created to persuade women with unplanned pregnancies to carry their babies to term. They are shooting on the Canon 5D.

"In order to maximize the effectiveness and usefulness of "The Life Project," we were advised by various women's resource centers to triple cast our story. So, last week we filmed essentially the same story with three different principal casts: white, African-American, and Latino/Spanish-speaking.

While I was excited by the prospect of working with three different casts, I must admit that, at first, I faintly wondered, in the back of my mind, if filming the same scenes three times would be monotonous drudgery. It was not at all! It was an incredible experience to watch these wonderful actors bring their own gifts and insights into the scenes." ~Richard Ramsey

For more pictures and information about the project CLICK HERE

Burns Family Studios - PRESS RELEASE

On Pendragon we were lead by the Lord to tell a story about vision - embracing God's call on your life no matter the odds or opposition.  Over the past year, the Lord has grown in our hearts a new theme; the 'next project' will explore the life changing idea that true freedom and ultimate satisfaction come only through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The story is shaping up to be fun, intelligent, and compelling. Count on action and espionage, a touch of comedy, romance, and of course, high adventure: a period piece with global scope.

This production will once again require the mobilization of a very large crew and volunteer network. We are looking forward to working with old friends and making new ones as we move closer to pre-production. But for now, what we need is your support in prayer.

Please be in prayer for:

Vision. Pray that we would be faithful to the vision that God has given us.

Message. Please pray that God would inspire and move us to the ideas that would be most compelling.

Team. Please pray that God would send the right individuals along in His timing, and that we would work in unity with each other.

Resources. Pray that the Lord would bring together and raise up the right resources at the right time.

- CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL PRESS RELEASE -

IndoctriNation Trailer

Colin Gunn and his family travel in a big yellow school bus across America shooting a new documentary film that explores the origins of the American education system, the effects of public schools on the Christian family, and the turning of the hearts of parents to their children through home education.

www.indoctrinationmovie.com

NEW CHRISTIAN MOVIE - "The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone"

Downes Brothers Entertainment

presents

SYNOPSIS:
"Archaeologist Dr. Michael Stone looked for the lost medallion his entire life, and now his son Billy has taken up the search.

Amazingly, the medallion ends up in Billy's hands and a spontaneous wish in a precarious situation takes Billy and his best friend Allie, back 200 years to what they realize is a very different Aumakua Island.

When Billy and his friends are not jumping off waterfalls, avoiding animal traps, crossing the ocean, sneaking through caves or escaping a prison they're facing their nemesis Cobra, who wants nothing more than for them all to disappear.

With no other way to get home, and the wellbeing of the entire island resting on his shoulders, Billy must discover the key to reclaiming the medallion and its tremendous power.

One way or another, this adventure will change Billy, and life on the island, forever."

The film is scheduled to release in early 2011

"The Lost Medallion" Movie Website

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Behind the Scenes

There are a lot of behind the scenes pictures and videos at these websites:
IMDb Page - Facebook Page - BTS videos on YouTube

Segregation - TRAILER

The Storyline

The storyline of the documentary follows young Christian film maker, Philip Leclerc, around the nation as he seeks answers to what has happened to the Christian youth in his generation.

Philip’s journey takes him from talking to kids in local youth groups, to documenting popular youth events, interviewing national youth ministry leaders, listening to youth pastors, and finally to meeting with a growing number of pastors and elders who are entirely abandoning the modern method of age-segregated Sunday school and youth ministry.

Along the way, Philip also interviews youth pastors who have come to see the futility of using the world's methods of teaching children in the church. These youth pastors have fled age-segregated youth ministry after realizing that no leader in scripture ever practiced age-segregated ministry and that the practice is foreign to Scripture.

The truth is shocking. Statistics suggest that between 65% and 85% of "Christian" youth leave the church when they enter college. Our interviews confirm this over and over again. And yet, while the gurus of modern youth ministry agree that there is disaster in the church, Philip finds that their response is only to prescribe various modifications to the current model. Realizing the utter brokenness of the entire establishment, he goes in search of the origins of modern youth ministry, how we got to where we are today, and, most significantly, what the Bible says about ministry to youth. The exciting reality is that God has prescribed a perfect model of youth ministry, all we have to do is put it into practice.

Movie Website