Evangelical Film Auteurs
Evangelical Film Auteurs
This chapter discusses how the challenge of churches embracing films was complicated by three problems. First, there were few suitable films to be shown. Second, very few churches possessed sound 16mm film projectors for exhibition. Finally, widespread opposition to Hollywood simmered among numerous conservative Christian leaders. Despite their doubts about film, many religious leaders came to agree that film exhibition would benefit their ministries. The celluloid sermons materializing from three pioneers—Rev. James Friedrich, Carlos Baptista, and Irwin Moon—paved the way for other individual Christian filmmakers and denominations to follow. While their forays into filmmaking reveal contrasting strategies of communication with their intended audiences, they each guided spectators to the same theme of God's presence in the world. Each emerged as an auteur whose primary visions of Christian communication shone through his works.
Keywords: religious film exhibition, celluloid sermons, Rev. James Friedrich, Carlos Baptista, Irwin Moon, Christian filmmakers, Christian communication
NYU Press Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.