Inside this issue...
Who's In Your Rolodex? Hi <<First Name>>, This week I’m at the Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival. It’s in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina, a really beautiful setting, and there are artists from all different disciplines here together.
We’re here to be encouraged in our work, educated in new media forms, and to make connections for future projects. Authors are pitching story ideas to producers, and graphic novelists are challenging filmmakers to think in new ways.
It’s refreshing because we left our normal settings and places of comfort behind and come to tap into our creativity, to be re-charged in our passions. It’s also a great time to meet people we knew only through Facebook, email or phone calls.
Turning virtual contacts into personal contacts is an exhilarating process. Suddenly, the person who has been a one-dimensional picture becomes a three-dimensional person, and you feel more closely connected.
If you’re only friends on Facebook, you’re missing out on something. Don’t keep your friends restricted to your hard drive. Meet them out in the real world, in flesh and blood, and you’ll find a whole new dimension of friendship.
From the screening room,
Angela Walker
ChristianMovieNews.com
Industry Interview
Advent Film Group's George Escobar
by Angela Walker  George Escobar is a homeschooling dad who made a radical decision to leave a fast-paced career as Vice President of Product Development for Discovery and Executive Director for AOL/Time Warner to start Advent Film Group, an organization dedicated to raising up a new generation of filmmakers. I talked with George about the career move, working with homeschooled students, and his new filmmaking model. It’s a big career change to go from working with some of the top entertainment and communication companies in the world to creating films with homeschooled students. What prompted that transition for you?
George: The move from basically a Hollywood-run industry to the Christian filmmaking side was a mutual one. The inspiration for that really came from Sherwood Pictures. I had an opportunity to speak directly with Stephen Kendrick at the San Antonio Independent Film Festival back in 2006, and he really challenged me to consider the fact that I had been given opportunities from the Lord, and what was I going to do with them? Who was I working for? [ Read more... ]
"Inspired Ambition" Coming to Sky Angel Network by Angela Walker Inspired Ambition, a syndicated television series following musician Erica Lane, is set to debut on the Sky Angel Network in June. The series, which already airs on FamilyNet and JCTV (TBN's youth-oriented channel), has been picked up by Cloud 10 Entertainment, who will distribute it to nine different networks. [ Read more... ]
Candace Cameron Bure to Star on ABC Family Sitcom by Angela Walker Candace Cameron Bure (The Wager), who followed her brother Kirk's (Fireproof) footsteps by starring in the sitcom Full House, has a role in the new ABC Family series Make It Or Break It. Bure, a Christian, has stated that she will only do family-friendly TV and films because she wanted her children to be able to see her work. [ Read more... ]
Creation Museum Still Draws Crowds & Ruffles Feathers by Aaron J. Leichman - Christian Post The controversial Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., marked its second anniversary this past week with slightly lower numbers than its first year but with much excitement.
“We enter our third year excited about the growing opportunities the museum provides for reaching people with the creation gospel message,” commented Ken Ham, the founder and president of the 70,000-square foot museum. [ Read more... ]
Jesus Film to Target More Sophisticated Countries by Michelle A. Vu - Christian Post Nearly 30 years after The Jesus Film's debut, the ministry that created the most translated movie in history is working to develop more sophisticated tools to reach western and highly developed countries.
“We are going to make probably more effort because we don’t have the equipment, tools and resources that are really speaking well to the first world and the media sophisticated, the U.S. and Europe,” said Greg Gregoire, senior associate at The Jesus Film Project, to The Christian Post. [ Read more... ]
Dove Review
Saving God: One Soul at a Time Dove Family-Approved Recommended for ages 12 and over Dove Review:
This is one well written, directed and acted production. Pastor Armstrong Cane returns to his minister-father's old church, having served fifteen years in prison as a result of killing a man in anger as they struggled with a knife. His dad is gone now but Pastor Cane is determined to move the church forward. He comes across a young likable man named Norris, who never-the-less is selling drugs. Pastor Cane begins to fight for his soul but Norris' drug pusher, a man called Blaze, doesn't want to let him go. This drama takes several turns in the plot but despite some hardships for everyone who knows Norris, the surprise ending not only is a testament to the fact that no one is past saving, but it also demonstrates that, when he is tested, Pastor Cane comes through as having truly changed from the man he was. I enjoyed watching this very much. It is a good story and well made. Dove happily awards our Seal to this film and we award it five Doves, our highest rating.
Festival Favorites
These films were audience favorites at the recent Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival. They include volunteer casts, Hollywood veterans, both first-time and experienced filmmakers. Each has a unique story to tell that will entertain you and your family. 
Come What May - DVD
When does life really begin?
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Dangerous Calling - DVD
Church politics turn deadly...
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Saving God: One Soul At A Time - DVD
From the Producers of Left Behind, The Movie.
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The Touch - DVD
What happens when someone actually cares?
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