Inside this issue...
Where does your curiosity take you?Hi <<First Name>>,
What do you do when you're curious about something? If you're a filmmaker, you grab a camera and start shooting.
This week, Lord Save Us From Your Followers, a documentary exploring the collision of faith and culture in America, opens in a limited number of theaters. This examination of the faith debate was a four-year project for filmmaker Dan Merchant.
His point of curiosity: why is the Gospel, a message of love, so divisive? The result is a funny, provocative, engaging and redemptive conversation that will continue long after the credits roll.
More Than a Game, a documentary about the early years of basketball star LeBron James, opens next weekend. Intrigued by the team and their coach, director and film student Kristopher Belman followed the team for six years. The true story is the bonds of friendship and respect developed through discipline and mentoring.
Belman and Merchant both started their projects out of curiosity. They wondered why and what, and didn't rest until they captured the story. What are you curious about? Maybe there's a great story to be told.
From the screening room,
Angela Walker
ChristianMovieNews.com
Industry Interview Christians in Cinema: Dan Merchant by Angela Walker 
Dan Merchant spent months wandering the country dressed in a white jumpsuit covered with bumper stickers on a quest to discover why the Gospel, which is a message of love, is dividing America. The result is the documentary film Lord, Save Us From Your Followers!
What was the inciting incident that pushed you out on this journey?
Dan: In retrospect, I can see where the seeds were planted. What happened was Jim Standridge, the cinematographer, Jeff Martin, the executive producer, and I were on a trip to Ethiopia to shoot a little documentary on a completely different topic, although related. Jim and I traveled around Ethiopia, and I not only observed Christians and Muslims getting along, which I didn't think was supposed to happen, but I also...
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"Shadow Government" Coming from Cloud Ten PicturesHave you ever wondered just how much "Big Brother" knows about you? Have you ever felt that with the technology that we now have, your every move could be monitored? Well it can.
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Kerri Pomarolli Film "Engaged" Coming to Sky AngelThe romantic comedy and indie hit, Engaged, starring Kerri Pomarolli, is set for television debut on Sky Angel Two on Wednesday, September 30, at 8:00 PM EST with an encore presentation at 11:00 PM.
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Hillsong United "We're All in this Together"On Wednesday, November 4th, popular Australian musical sensation Hillsong United will appear on movie screens across the US for an exclusive one night event featuring a performance by the internationally recognized worship band and their much-anticipated documentary, hosted live from Australia.
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Mary J. Blige on Spirituality, Music and Movie Roles
Multiple Grammy® award winner Mary J. Blige's voice has been heard in many films and television shows, but rarely does she have an acting role. When Tyler Perry cast for his latest film I Can Do Bad All By Myself, he was determined to have her in the role of Tanya, a friend of the main character, who confronts her about her selfishness and lifestyle. During a busy press outing in New York, she talked with me about the film and acting.
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Mercy Streets
Dove Family-Approved
Recommended for ages 12 and over
A story of redemption and forgiveness.
Mercy Streets has all the suspense and hard-hitting action you would expect from any urban flick, with a couple of significant exceptions: no profanity; no adultery or fornication; no gratuitous violence; and a strong message of redemption, forgiveness and reconciliation.
How did this happen you may ask? A group of talented, dedicated Christian filmmakers got together and produced a top notch movie in the genre of Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra or Horton Foote. They found a way to stimulate and even excite the audience without using the usual cheap tricks employed by most lazy Hollywood filmmakers. In Mercy Streets, might does not make right. In fact, the strength of this film is in its clear message that there are Godly requisites for true conflict resolution, and what's more, they work to everyone's advantage.
