Dr. Ted Baehr being interviewed by Dan Wooding at a previous Movieguide® Gala, photo via assistnews.net

It all started as a press conference at the Hollywood Press Club…

Media expert Dr. Ted Baehr, founder of the Christian Film and TV Commission, says he is “amazed” at the growth of the Annual Movieguide® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry, reports Dan Wooding, founder of ASSIST Ministries.

It began some sixteen years ago as a small press conference at the Hollywood Press Club and has since grown into what is now known as the “Christian Oscars,” and this year will be held on Feb. 12 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

“We started it because Sir John Templeton suggested giving out monetary prizes for movies and television that helped people know God and understand Him better and a Southern California Christian radio personality named Warren Duffy who suggested that we do an awards ceremony and give our report at the Press Club in a run down hotel just across from the Hollywood museum near the old Hollywood Bowl,” said Baehr in an interview. To my great surprise, it was packed. I expected nobody to show up, so I was absolutely shocked because there were so many there that people we were standing outside straining to look in the door.”

Baehr revealed that he has seen an “incredible growth” over the years and a “huge change in Hollywood as well.”

He said, “Hollywood has gone from one movie with positive Christian �?redemptive faith-filled content’ to a handful of movies like this, to today when there are so many that is hard to chose winners.”

Ted Baehr said that he is expecting a large turn out for this year’s Annual Faith & Values Awards & Report to the Entertainment Industry.

“We’re looking like we will have a full turn out in terms of producers and directors and Entertainment Industry talent,” he continued. “We’ve got some surprise big, big talents – some of the biggest stars in Hollywood -- that have said they are coming and the studios are taking tables and wanting to get more of their people into the Gala, so the studios who are interested reaching the 150 million people who go to church every week will be there in droves.

“We have actors like Steve Baldwin and others from the acting community who are saying that they are coming, including many young actors and actresses.

“There also be some representatives of some really good Christian groups such as the American Bible Society, and Thomas Nelson has given us Bibles to hand out to the attendees.”

I then asked Dr. Baehr what were some of the Hollywood highlights for him during the past year.

“One of them is the fact that Walt Disney Pictures have been doing films with lots of action, but no violence, lots of romance, but no sex, lots of dialogue, but no foul language,” he said. “Disney has brought out “Game Plan” which is pristine and “Enchanted”, which are both honorees.

“Then you’ve got the other studios who have decided to make films with faith themes. Surprisingly, the Entertainment Industry is producing a lot of movies that are extolling life, whether it’s MOVIEGUIDE® approved movies such as “Bella” or “The Ultimate Gift”, or more cutting edge movies such as the Academy Award nominee “Juno” and even the hit “Knocked Up”, is pro-life and anti-abortion.”

He added, “So you’ve got life, you’ve got faith, you’ve got family, and you’ve got the wonderful “Amazing Grace” which alone is worth the whole year.”

Baehr said that he has received some “terrific scripts” as entries for the annual $50,000 Kairos Prize for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays (sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation) and has announced 12 finalists for this year’s competition. The three winners will share the $50,000 prize.

“Every year the scripts get better and better,” he said. “They are better written each time around, and this year we’ve had the nicest, most professional group of writers, who are really interested in their craft. One wrote and said that they wanted their movie to be a little bit more �?stealth Christian’ but they understood completely that they couldn’t be considered, but applauded us.”

Another highlight this year will be the announcement of the winners for the John Templeton Foundation-sponsored Epiphany Prizes for Inspiring Movies & TV. The winners of the two $50,000 prizes for 2007 will also be announced at the 16th Annual Movieguide® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry, to be held Feb. 12 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

“It has been an incredible past year with movies that are gigantic like “I Am Legend”, in which Will Smith did an wonderful job and where there is an actual prayer to Jesus, and “Spider-Man 3”, where Spider-Man goes to church to be delivered from his sin nature. There was also the wonderful personality of Aunt May, a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. I think Marvel Comics should feature Aunt May because she is so loving and understanding. We all need an Aunt May in our house.

“So we had these two blockbusters and then we had “Amazing Grace”, “Bella”, “In The Shadow of the Moon” and “The Ten Commandments” animation movie and “The Ultimate Gift”, which are all movies that reflect God and that is what the Epiphany Prizes are all about -- helping people know and understand God better.”

Note: Movieguide® is dedicated to “redeeming the values of the entertainment industry by influencing industry executives and by informing and equipping the public about the influence of the entertainment media.”

The core mission of the John Templeton Foundation is to serve as a philanthropic catalyst for discovery in areas engaging life’s big questions. These questions range from explorations into the laws of nature and the universe to questions on the nature of love, gratitude, forgiveness, and creativity. The Foundation seeks new insights into the spiritual nature of the individual. For example, the Foundation supports innovative new research in subjects ranging from unlocking the mysteries of spirituality in the human mind using recent advances in neurobiology to generating insights into the patterns and principles of spiritual growth during the college years.

The Foundation's vision is derived from John Templeton’s commitment to rigorous scientific research and related cutting-edge scholarship. The Foundation’s motto “how little we know, how eager to learn” exemplifies its support for open-minded inquiry and its hope for advancing human progress through breakthrough discoveries.

New iPad POLL! VOTE NOW! Will you buy new iPad?

[02/06/2008]

Print Version