More than 150 Christian film and theology students and Sundance Film Festival goers as well as some 100 members of the Park City churches were wowed by several Angelus Awards winning films showcased Jan. 27 and 28 at Mountain Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Park City, Utah, as part of the inaugural Windrider Forum.
The forum, held during the second week of the Sundance Film Festival, was designed for students to screen Sundance and Angelus films, explore how film and faith intersect and establish a dialogue between the faith and film communities. During a Windrider session, one of the Sundance filmmakers spoke to the students and answered their questions. Audiences at both Angelus screenings responded enthusiastically to the films as evidenced by their sustained applause after each film, the thoughtful questions they posed to the attending filmmakers and their comments to Family Theater staff. Park City television and public radio (KPCW-FM) interviewed Angelus Awards director Monika Moreno in advance of the Jan. 28th screenings.
A Family Theater crew taped interviews with film critic Roger Ebert; Bob Berney, president of Newmarket Films, a feature film distributor (including The Passion of the Christ); Mark Borde and Susan Jackson, co-founders of Freestyle Releasing, a film distribution and marketing company (Mark was a 2004 Angelus festival juror); and teenage actor Khleo Thomas (Disney’s Holes). The interviews will be used for promotion of the Angelus Awards Student Film Festival. Windrider Forum was presented by Priddy Bros. Productions along with partners Biola University, La Mirada, Calif.; Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Calif., and Colorado Springs, Colo.; Angelus Awards/Family Theater Productions, Hollywood; and Mountain Vineyard Christian Fellowship. Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho, also participated. Families of Mountain Vineyard and other Park City churches hosted Windrider students and Angelus filmmakers. Angelus Awards winners who attended and answered audiences’ questions were Sharat Raju, American Made;/Joey Jones, Little Red Plane; Hilla Medalia, Daughters of Abraham; Suzanne Niedland, Miss Lil’s Camp; and actress Joan M. Blair, representing Graham Tallman’s CodeName Simon*. 2004 Angelus jurors Amy Salko Robertson and Jody Eldred also participated in the discussions following the screenings.
The Angelus Awards Student Film Festival, entering its 10th year, honors undergraduate and graduate student films that explore the complexity of the human condition with creativity, compassion and respect. It was created in 1996 by Family Theater Productions, a Catholic media outlet based in Hollywood.
MovieMaker’s current Winter issue 2005, also its “Best of” and “Sundance” issue, cited the Angelus Awards as the “best bet” festival for student filmmakers.
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