This October, the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival will once again offer a $10,000 first place cash award to an independent Christian film, and present an event which we believe highlights the stark antithesis between Hollywood and Christian culture. Based on pre-registrations and early interest, we think it reasonable that we will double last year’s 700 person attendance. In my view, the need is more critical than ever.

Just before Oscar night, USA Today featured a full page article by Anthony Breznican entitled “Exploring Oscar’s Dark Side.” His thesis:

Open the winning envelope? For this year’s Oscar hopefuls, it’s more like opening a vein. Drug addiction, mercy killing, mental illness, genocide, abortion, ill young mothers and borderline alcoholism — these are a few of Oscar’s favorite things this year.... Some Oscar experts say this year’s nominees reflect the overall dour state of Hollywood moviemaking.... Morgan Freeman, who has a supporting-actor bid for Million Dollar Baby, also defends the dark side of his movie: “I’m sorry, there are some people who are going to be put off by this kind of subject matter. But I think most of the audience sees it for what it is. It’s a wonderful story, and sometimes these (troubling) choices confront us.”

In his March 8 USA Today article, “The ‘suicide solution’ suddenly seems trendy,” Michael Medvid wrote:

Meanwhile, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave both of its “best movie” Oscars to films portraying assisted suicide in a sympathetic light: Million Dollar Baby took home the award as best picture (plus best director, best actress and best supporting actor) while the Spanish offering The Sea Inside won recognition as best foreign language film. On the entertainment industry’s night of nights, millions of people saw glamorous figures in fairy-tale gowns and tuxes receiving standing ovations for telling intense stories of deeply endearing figures who longed explicitly for death and persuaded friends to help them get their wish.