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Act Like Men Memorial Day Giveaway

Jonathan Potter — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:50:16 +0000

We're giving away a copy of the new Act Like Men DVD, released on the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic. Entries for the Act Like Men DVD Giveaway will be accepted until midnight ET May 31st.

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Two Hats DVD Giveaway

Jonathan Potter — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 04:22:20 +0000

Congratulations to Meagan V., winner of our IndoctriNation DVD Giveaway!

Next, we're giving away a copy of the Two Hats DVD, winner of the 2012 SAICFF Great Commission Jubilee Award. IndoctriNation's National Movie Night premiere is March 30 – April 1. Entries for the Two Hats DVD Giveaway will be accepted until midnight ET April 2nd.

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IndoctriNation will Premiere Nationwide through National Movie Night this weekend

Jason Matyas — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:23:52 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:

Jason Matyas

Co-Founder

Freedom Film Distributors

434-321-8909 x321

press at freedomfilmdistributors dot com

Best Documentary award-winning film "IndoctriNation" reveals the anti-God nature of American public education, will be screened nationwide through National Movie Night this weekend

Esmont, VA, 3/16/2012 — The award winning new film, IndoctriNation: Public Schools and the Decline of Christianity in America, produced by serial documentarian Colin Gunn, will be premiered nationwide March 16-18 through the National Movie Night, a project of Freedom Film Distributors. Traveling all over America with his family in a big yellow school bus and conducting a series of candid conversational interviews, Colin Gunn, a Scottish filmmaker, actor, and homeschool father of seven children living in Texas, is on a quest to discover the origins of our modern educational system. What he discovers is a masterful design that sought to replace God’s plan for training up the next generation with a humanistic, man-centered program that fragmented the family and undermined the influence of the Church and its Great Commission.

Part documentary, part testimonial — a confessional and a rebuke, this film is above all a challenge and an encouragement to millions of Christians who need to know what history, experience, and the Scriptures have to say about what is perhaps the pivotal issue of our time: the discipleship and training of the next generation. IndoctriNation is premiering nationwide through National Movie Night, which is designed to harness the energy of fans of independently produced films by giving them a way to host movie nights in their communities. Freedom Film Distributors will also promote and distribute the film nationwide through its grassroots network of distributors and affiliates.

At the 2012 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival (SAICFF), IndoctriNation took the Jubilee award for Best Documentary, and was runner up for the $101,000 Best of Festival award, the largest grand prize for any independent film festival. Upon receiving the ‘Best Documentary’ award, Gunn noted that Indoctrination was made for “others out of genuine love for the concerns of children in America. We were so blessed to give this message. And at the end of the film [we] make it clear: The problem with public schools is that [they] drive children away from Christ. And that was the real reason for making this film, and we pray that the Lord was glorified in it.” Heralded as the right film at the right time by the right person, IndoctriNation has been critically acclaimed by leading Christian thinkers.

Cal Thomas (America’s most widely syndicated op-ed columnist) writes:

"Every Christian parent with a child in a government school should see this [movie] and be forced to confront their unwillingness to do what Scripture requires for the children on loan to them by God. A mass exodus from government schools is the only way to preserve the souls and minds of our children." IndoctriNation is a feature length documentary film that takes the audience on a panoramic exploration of one of the most important and controversial issues in the history of mankind, the issue of education.

Ted Baehr of MovieGuide exclaimed:

"This is the most important issue facing the Body of Christ, an issue that must be addressed and put to rest forever. IndoctriNation is an extremely important movie. Every church in America should show IndoctriNation. Every Christian should show IndoctriNation to their friends."

For more information on the film visit the website, www.indoctrinationmovie.com.

The National Movie Night project is one component of the strategy of Freedom Film Distributors to build alternative and independent vehicles for the promotion of independent films that uphold the values of Faith, Family, and Freedom. National Movie Night establishes a schedule of nationally coordinated movie nights that will focus promotion for a particular film in a defined date range. This will allow Freedom Film Distributors to leverage its national promotional campaigns through its Movie Night Hosts at the local level for the film screenings they are hosting. Movie Night Hosts are provided with planning guidance and promotional tools to set up and promote their movie night, and with DVD packs to distribute to event attendees. The goal is to provide a conduit for grassroots film promotion of independently produced family-friendly films to diverse audiences all around the country. For more info, visit:

www.nationalmovienight.com

Freedom Film Distributors is a film distribution company focused on independently produced faith-friendly, family-oriented, and freedom-loving films and educational videos. Its business strategy is a decentralized model of distribution using a network of local distributors to engage both consumer and wholesale markets in their territories through a combination of event marketing, organizational partnerships, and local networks. Movie Night Hosts help promote films through the National Movie Night project and other local film screenings. Organizational partnerships and affiliates help broaden the awareness of the Freedom Film Distributors catalog of God-honoring and family-edifying products. Independent film marketing services and consultation to producers is also available. For more info, visit: www.freedomfilmdistributors.com

IndoctriNation DVD Giveaway

Jonathan Potter — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:10:59 +0000

This month, we're giving away a copy of the IndoctriNation DVD, winner of the 2012 SAICFF Best Documentary Jubilee Award. IndoctriNation was also the runner up for the $101,000 Best of Festival award. IndoctriNation's National Movie Night premiere is March 16-18. Entries for the IndoctriNation DVD Giveaway will be accepted until midnight ET March 18th.

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SAICFF Jubilee Awards for Best in Christian Film

Jason Matyas — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:03:30 +0000

This year’s San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival (SAICFF) was by all accounts, a fantastic event. SAICFF has become the largest independent Christian film festival in the world, and awards the largest prize for any independent film festival – the $101,000 Best of Festival Jubilee Award. SAICFF Founder Doug Phillips proclaimed "Our mission is to inspire, encourage, reward and ultimately to build a replacement industry for Hollywood. Too many simply complain about Hollywood's darkness. Our mission is to light candles of hope by affirming those films that exalt what is true, good, and noble."

The Christian Filmmakers Academy ran for three days before the film festival, and was a great time of learning and networking. Students at the CFA were treated this year to talks by film industry veterans like Kirk Cameron, Stephen Kendrick, Geoff Botkin, Tryg Jacobsen and others. There was more emphasis this year on the business side of filmmaking – film promotion and distribution – which is much-needed from our perspective as one of the only alternative film distribution companies around. We’re excited that there is now more discussion of this fourth part of the SAICFF mission statement: “To facilitate the development of alternative and independent vehicles for producing and distributing films outside the Hollywood machine, which will build, bless, and benefit the American family.”

The Film Festival was an exciting lineup: six semi-finalists for Feature Film, 25 semi-finalists for documentary, seven semi-finalists each for Creation and Great Commission categories, 16 semi-finalists for short film, nine semi-finalists for Young Filmmaker, and five semi-finalists each for Promotional Media and Commercial Advertisement.

The 2012 SAICFF Jubilee Award Winners included:

Commercial Advertisement – Liberty Day by Matt Blick of Cellar Media
Promotional Media – The Promise of Sheboygan County by the Leclerc Brothers
Young Filmmakers – The Forgotten Martyr: Lady Jane Grey by J and J Productions
Film Short – The Jester by SkyGate Studios
Great Commission – Two Hats by Second Mile Films
Creation – Crying Wolf by Jeff King
Documentary – IndoctriNation by Colin Gunn and Joaquin Fernandez, also the Best of Festival Runner Up
Audience Choice – Seasons of Gray by Watermark Films
Feature Film and Best of Festival – Courageous by Sherwood Pictures

Courageous producer Steven Kendrick gave a moving acceptance speech. "I want to take this opportunity, as we made a movie about fatherhood, to honor my father," Kendrick stated. "He was the chainbreaker in our family . . . and there's no one who's had a greater impact on our lives [as] his sons."

"The motto of [Courageous] was: Dads need to stand up and turn their hearts toward the Lord and say, 'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,'" continued Kendrick. "And it was our Dad that taught us to do that, and it's an honor to pass on that legacy to our children."

Three of these Jubilee award winners are currently scheduled to be screened nationwide in the coming months through National Movie Night, a project of Freedom Film Distributors designed to enable grassroots promotion of independently produced films. We are working on adding other finalists and award winners to the National Movie Night schedule and our catalog of independent Christian films.

The nationwide premiere of the SAICFF Best Documentary winner IndoctriNation is scheduled for March 16-18^th. IndoctriNation takes a hard look at the true state of public education in America, its humanistic origins, and whether Christians should be giving their children over to the state education system.

IndoctriNation producer Colin Gunn stated that Indoctrination was made for "others out of genuine love for the concerns of children in America. We were so blessed to give this message. And at the end of the film [we] make it clear: The problem with public schools is that [they] drive children away from Christ. And that was the real reason for making this film, and we pray that the Lord was glorified in it."

The nationwide premiere of the SAICFF Best Great Commission film winner Two Hats is scheduled for March 30^th – April 1^st. This moving documentary about Brad and Deborah Wells and their 7 children leaving Idaho to go to the missions field in Papau New Guinea follows them through both setbacks and accomplishments as they share God’s Word, raise a family, and establish the country’s first Christian radio station.

Two Hats producer/director Andrew Garcia accepted the award, saying "This is an incredible honor, and I want to start by thanking my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without Him, this film would never have come to be. . . . And then, of course, the missionaries who were in the film . . . and the thousands of missionaries all over the world. Even as we sit here tonight, who are faithfully serving — not with eye-service as men-pleasers — but as unto the Lord. This award is dedicated to them."

The winner of the SAICFF Best Creation film Crying Wolf will be screened nationwide for “Earth Day” weekend April 20-22. Crying Wolf is about exposing the lies and proclaiming the truth about what the movement to bring back wolves to Yellowstone – and the rest of America – was, and is, really about, examined through the lens of biblical stewardship and conservation.

"[T]his project wasn't [fundamentally] about wolves or wolf re-introduction," remarked producer Jeff King, "but about reintroducing to the world biblical concepts of stewardship and dominion."

You can be a part of these nationwide screenings in your community by signing up to host a movie night in your home, church, or other venue. National Movie Night provides Movie Night Hosts with planning and promotional tools to set up and promote their movie night, and with discounts for the DVD. Please consider being a part of helping promote these award-winning independent films in your area.

What SAICFF films do you most want us to distribute and promote through National Movie Night? Please let us know in the comments.

* Thanks to John-Clay Burnett for photographic contributions.

Challenging Call to take Hazardous Journeys at the 2012 SAICFF

Jonathan Potter — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:20:11 +0000

Today was a major day for viewing films. Here at the festival, the Young Filmmaker and Short Film categories are heavily anticipated, and both began showing today. After lunch, the theater room showing the short films was filled to capacity. By the end of the day, all the feature films and most of the documentaries have shown at least once.

By the end of tomorrow, most of these same films will have been shown twice. There are usually four different theatres showing different categories of film at the same time, so attendees usually get to see about half the films. Because I’ve seen about 10 of the films before (significant thanks to the National Movie Night program, which screened several of them recently), I will get to see nearly all of them.

The evening program included performances by Charlie Zahm and George Sarris, as well as the worldwide premier of three of Vision Forum’s new short films, shot by the Leclerc brothers in Iceland: Dominion, Risk, and Manhood. Doug Phillips also cast his vision for the Hazardous Journeys Society. To sum, National Geographic and other nature programing TV and media which promote evolutionistic scientism have had the upper hand for too long. This is our Father’s world, and the Hazardous Journeys Society exists to document the world where Christ is Lord and King.

Mr. Phillips called for independent filmmakers to take teams all over the globe, to 7 continents, 5 oceans, and 195 countries by the year 2022. In the next 24 months, Vision Forum hopes to take a venture on the Virgin Galactic private space shuttle to the next frontier: Space.

The San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival (SAICFF) begins!

Jonathan Potter — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:49:49 +0000

Today was the first day of the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival (SAICFF). Two special events happened this morning: Vision forum offered a special photography class for attendees of the Academy, and one of the producers held a special pre-screening of a yet to be released film, ‘Remember’.

After a brief lunch break, we headed over to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center for the first session of films. Six categories of film opened in the afternoon, followed by the opening ceremonies around 6:30 p.m. The evening premieres included Captivated, Crying Wolf, Detained, and Seasons of Grey. Charlie Zahm also gave a concert on the San Antonio Riverwalk.

Voting for the audience choice has begun!

Final Day of the 2012 SAICFF Christian Filmmakers Academy

Jonathan Potter — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:07:53 +0000

Wednesday was the final day of the SAICFA, or Christian Filmmakers Academy. Once again, Extreme Meetings provided some statistics about the filmmakers in attendance. Christian Filmmakers primarily watch PG-13 rated films (39%) on DVD (71%). When they rent, they like to use Netflix (41%) and Redbox (25%). About half of the attendees see 1-2 films in a theater per year (49%), and the rest are split between those that visit the theater 1-2 times per month, and those who have never seen a film on the big screen.

Today’s theme was the business of film, focusing especially on distribution, fulfillment and marketing. Kirk Cameron, Stephen Kendrick, Philip and Chris Leclerc, Curtis Bowers, Collin Gunn, John Moore, David Cook, J.D. King, Geoff Botkin and Doug Phillips all took the stage to offer their unique insights into the business end of film production. One consensus introduced by Curtis Bowers is the importance of grassroots film promotion. Once people are excited about a film, they want to tell their friends. This is the idea that motivates our National Movie Night project. The day ended with Kirk Cameron discussing his new film, Monumental.

Tryg Jacobson opened the morning with the ‘Brand Identification Model’, a simple system to evaluate your brand. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream was an example: “Ben & Jerry’s serves ice cream lovers who don’t do things by halves [or halfway]. Ben & Jerry’s fills your face full of flavor so you can feel gloriously righteous about your indulgence. It is outrageously packed full of the stuff we love to love.”

Colin Gunn remarked on the importance of tone in documentaries, saying, “Theology without art is impassionate. Art without theology is selfishness.”

John Moore on distribution noted a maxim that his father had taught him. That is, wherever you are, you are an ambassador for yourself, your business, and your brand. So always be professional.

Oh, and one more thing, unanimously agreed to by the panel: if you can, win the SAICFF Jubilee Best of Festival award; It’s one of the best things you can do for distribution and sales. Thursday the festival begins, and the $101,000 best of festival winner will be decided. Who are you rooting for?

Report from the Christian Filmmakers Academy

Jonathan Potter — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:38:26 +0000

Yesterday was the second day of the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Academy (SAICFA). This year, the academy is equipped with automatic voting systems, and the day began with about 15 minutes of polling and research. Some surprising results: over 50% of attendees aren’t currently working on a project. 7% came to look for new films to finance.

Another highlight of the day was Justin Tolley’s lecture called, “I once was at Lost, but now am found.” Here, he discussed the difference between working on the set of Lost, and working on the set of Courageous.

The evening Keynote was split between retired advertising executive Tryg Jacobson and Doug Phillips. First, Tryg delivered an eye-opening lecture on branding for filmmakers. The key word of branding is trust: making and keeping promises. He also discussed the power of “mental real estate”—how companies can corner a certain word, like Volvo owns “safe” or Heinz meaning “thick.”

Then, Doug Phillips spoke on the need for action, and not just story. Here are some quotes:

“This is my father’s world—you may not take it!”

“Don’t pretend to be an expert on a subject you don’t own.”

“The reason some of us don’t write well is that we don’t study well.”

“There are no bench warmers in the Army of God.”

Great Men of the South 2-Pack Giveaway

Jonathan Potter — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:22:45 +0000

Our newest giveaway features the new documentary 2-pack, Great Men of the South. In celebration of Black History Month, we're giving away this pack which includes two documentaries from Franklin Springs Family Media: Still Standing: The Stonewall Jackson Story and George Washington Carver: An Uncommon Way. Entries for the Great Men of the South 2-Pack Giveaway will be accepted until midnight ET February 29th.

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