Notes from Day 4 of the 2012 LDS Film Festival:
Jan
26
LDS Film Festival 2012: Overview & Day 1
Notes from Day 1 of the 2012 LDS Film Festival:
Looking through the final schedule, this year’s LDS Film Festival has the usual variety of feature films, short films, and documentaries, but new this year are some “musical interludes” before screenings featuring local musical artists. Undoubtedly a decision made to broaden the scope of the festival and support local LDS musicians, who face many of the same difficulties supporting themselves and finding audiences as LDS filmmakers do.
Jan
16
Christian Films vs LDS Films — A Re-Review of Island of Grace (Rescued)
Island of Grace is the “Christian-ified” version of the film Rescued (one of Candlelight Media’s dual release films discussed in a previous post). While I wasn’t a huge fan of Rescued, I was curious about the differences and decided to re-watch both films to see what changes were worthy of note.
You may ask: why? Why spend time looking at differences between versions of an admittedly obscure film that wasn’t going to find a large audience in either LDS or “Christian” form?
I believe there are larger issues at play here. The marketing decision to create alternate versions of Rescued for different audiences raises questions about how LDS film fits within the genre of “Christian” film, if at all. Aren’t LDS films “Christian” films already? If not, how do the two approaches differ? Using Rescued and Island of Grace as a case study, I’ll look at some specific differences and then try to make some larger points about LDS filmmaking philosophy.
Jan
10
LDS Film Festival 2012 Schedule Announced
The 2012 LDS Film Festival will be taking place January 25th through the 28th at the SCERA theater in Orem, Utah. The primary schedule has been announced at the official site, although there will be further updates of showings and presentations closer to the festival opening.
Some highlights of this years schedule:
- Redemption — a drama about a lawman and a prisoner, set on the western frontier in 1862. Directed by Tom Russell and starring John Freeman, Margot Kidder, and Barry Corbin.
- Stand Strong — a drama about a family in crisis who learns what success is really about. Directed by Amy and Shawn Kenney.
- The Last Eagle Scout — satirical drama/comedy about a future society without Scouting where one young man tries to finish his Eagle before time runs out. Written and directed by Kels Goodman.
- Corianton: A Story of Unholy Love — the 1931 black & white film adaptation of the Brigham H. Roberts novella (based on the story of Corianton, son of Alma, from the Book of Mormon).
- The Measure of a Man — a true story of an orphan in the Great Depression era who travels from Oklahoma to California and ends up raising a large posterity. Directed by Elizabeth and Andrew Waite.
- The Letter Writer — latest from LDS Film Festival head Christian Vuissa, a drama about a rebellious teenager who becomes the apprentice to an old writer of life-affirming letters.
In addition, the festival also features the regular assortment of documentaries, short films, discussion forums, and filmmaker presentations. Tickets can be purchased online at the SCERA website or at the door.
Jan
05
Review: The Book of Life (B+)
[The Book of Life -- written and directed by Marco Lui -- is now available for general viewing through Audience Alliance. The following is a reprint of my original review, posted in January 2011 at the LDS Film Festival]
Dec
19
Review: Christmas Angel (B-)
Just in time for Christmas, let’s look at Christmas Angel, a holiday-themed movie directed by Brian Brough (Turn Around, Rescued, Beauty & The Beast) and released to video in 2009.
Christmas Angel stars Bruce Davison as the title character, a rich retiree who spends his remaining years doing “Secret Santa” service for those around him.
Oct
31
Review: Johnny Lingo (1969)
The short film Johnny Lingo was produced by BYU in 1969 and has long held a celebrated place in LDS culture over the past forty years, despite no real LDS content. (While largely “adopted” into LDS culture, it is based off of a Women’s Day article from Patricia McGerr, a Catholic, and references to the article and “eight cow wives” can be found in many non-LDS forums today.)
The 25-minute Johnny Lingo film can be found on DVD and is now available on YouTube as well. (The 2004 film The Legend of Johnny Lingo is also available on DVD, although many elements of the Johnny Lingo story have been changed. This article discusses the earlier short film only.)
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