Seven weeks ago I was calling out to the Lord for direction on the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.

We knew when we launched this costly and massive project that we were taking a big risk. We knew their would be scoffers (and there have been), and we knew that there were many professing Christians still on the Hollywood dole who would be uncomfortable with our call to distinctively Christian culture. But we believed in the mission and put our reputation and our money on the line to pursue this very special dream.

But when September 1 had come and gone, and Vision Forum had received less than a half a dozen film applications, I began to wonder whether God would bless this vision. After all, you can not have a festival without film submissions.

I approached my staff and asked a very uncomfortable question. Did they believe we should extend the acceptance date to allow additional submissions? The unanimous response was a resounding “no.” To a man, this remarkable Vision Forum staff said that we should hold firm to our date and trust the Lord. We sink, or we swim, but we don’t change the rules just because things are looking down.

I like that. I believe in that.

Once again, we dedicated the festival to the Lord in prayer. We supplicated and fervently prayed for God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills to bless us from His abundance.

Days went by. Only a trickle of submissions came in.

Then, during the week of September 15 (our deadline for submissions) the mailman arrived at the door of Vision Forum with more than 120 original film submissions. In addition, the Lord sent us nearly $40,000 in sponsorships from different businesses who believe in and want to encourage independent Christian films.

We were simply astonished. God had answered our prayers — and in spades.

Frankly, the response was simply overwhelming. Professionals, amateurs, home educators, budding filmmakers, and children barely in their teens (many laboring for months to prepare films for the festival) had sought to take advantage of every possible day leading up to the deadline to perfect their entry.

The films ranged in quality from poor to simply fantastic, from dynamic and biblical, to theologically confused, from touching, to “less than touching.” On the whole, they were simply phenomenal, and demonstrated the tremendous potential of this up-and-coming generation of independent filmmakers.

Of note is the fact that about 75% of the producers who submitted films were present or past home schooled students, or the parents of home schoolers — thus demonstrating that the same maverick spirit which proved to the world that Christians don’t need to feed off the tough of government education, applies equally to America’s other religious establishment — Hollywood.

We received documentaries on the life of reformers like William Tyndale and Matthew Henry. We were inundated with significant narratives on subjects as diverse as the meaning of boyhood to a time travel adventure back to the Garden of Eden. We received creation films that examine worldviews, the Fall of man, and the rise of genetics. We received at least two Gospel-oriented Civil War epics complete with battle scenes, and a documentary about Jackson and Lee which may be the best ever produced. We even received a noteworthy, gripping original political film on the homosexual assault on the churches of San Francisco.

Some films dealt specifically with redemption in Christ, like Glimpse, the true story of a convict and drug abuser turned preacher. Others dared to confront the failure of modern bioethical conclusions by lighting a candle of hope, like Nellie-A Life Worth Living, a remarkable documentary with first rate production values about a Christian quadriplegic who serves Jesus Christ with vigor. (P.S. the title of this film is a direct refutation of Dr. Peter Singer’s thesis that children with physical disabilities which appear (in the eyes of modern bioethicists) to render a human being’s life less than desirable, should be killed early in their lives.)

We even received a series of simple introductory films from very young film makers, including a set of shorts from two North Carolina brothers (11 and 13, respectively) on the great revival during the civil war, and the influence of the clergy on the Revolutionary War.

Some of these films were sufficiently thought-provoking, mature and edgy (though very appropriate) that they will be screened as part of a special category called “Screwtape Theater” which will premiere during the evening at the SAICFF.

For example, Drifting asks the question: “Would you really die for Christ? Really?!” Washington’s Cross, is a complex Twilightzone-esque commentary on the intellectual insanity of anti-Christian postmodern thought. Choosing Life is a heart-wrenching drama about a girl’s decision not to kill her unborn baby. After Hours carefully, but with tremendous insight and precision, traces the nature of temptation in a co-ed office environment, shows the potential consequence of such on a family, and demonstrates a godly man’s ultimate response to temptation.

From these 120-130 film shorts we have selected about 40 semi-finalists. These films range from 5 to 55 minutes. From these forty semi-finalists our distinguished panel of judges will pick three to five finalists per category. From these finalists, one Jubilee Award will be presented per category (narrative, documentary, political, and creation). Finally, the “Best of Festival Award” will be selected and $10,000 will be presented to the winner.

Check Out Our Semi-Finalists
Our complete schedule, list of semi-finalists, director’s workshops, seminars, and special events is now live on the web at www.independentchristianfilms.com. You can read plot summaries and get background information on the film and their producers.

If you have any intention of attending this groundbreaking film festival, may I suggest you sign up sooner rather than later. We are limited in terms of the number of people who can attend. Sign up online at: www.independentchristianfilms.com.