family films

Message In Motion

| Faith and Family Films

What do Amiee Semple McPherson, Pine Wood Studios London, World Wide Pictures, the Salvation Army, hippies during the ‘Jesus Revolution,’ and the Erwin Brothers have in common? The answer: They have all utilized ‘the-media-of-the-day’ to reach the masses with the Gospel.

Aimee used ‘illustrated-sermons’ when she preached at Angelus Temple Foursquare Church.

In 1915 a missionary group noticed that the silent films of the day were not wholesome. So they countered by launching Pinewood Studios, London, to create family-friendly content.

Billy Graham made the Gospel come alive via World Wide Pictures. The Salvation Army, Australia, used film to present the Gospel.

During the ’60’s and ‘70’s the hippies of the Jesus Revolution used music and gospel tracks to communicate the love of God and the Gospel message.

The Erwin Brothers have produced motion pictures presenting stories of hope worldwide.

Film, especially motion pictures, is the most powerful ‘media-of-our-day’ for telling stories. And telling stories is a powerful way to communicate ‘Truth.’ There is nothing like a motion picture to engage the senses. We see life-like images on the screen. We hear the music, conversations and sound effects. We feel the emotional connection to the characters. It is a magical mixture that can drive the audience either in a positive or negative direction.

I have been in the faith and family film industry for more than a decade and can say unequivocally that film in the ‘faith space’ moves audiences toward hope and the Good News. This Movie Guy has seen a multitude of Pastors embolden their congregations to attend faith-based films and have seen positive and dramatic life responses. I encourage those of you who have not utilized this powerful tool to try this media-of-our-day very soon.

Movies produced by dedicated, Christian filmmakers like the Erwin’s, move audiences from contemplation and reflection to life-changing actions; films like: October Baby, where some expectant mothers walked out of the movie with changed minds, deciding to have their babies rather than seek an abortion. Mom’s Night Out reinforced that ‘the JOY of the Lord is our strength. Woodlawn brought a message of hope and salvation to high school football teams across the U.S.A. And I Can Only Imagine showed us the hope of Jesus Christ in the middle of tragedy.

Their new film, The Jesus Revolution, will arrive in theaters in February 2023. It’s a true story about the sea of young people who descended on Southern California in the ‘70’s, intent on redefining ‘Truth,’ through Rock and Roll, drugs and newfound love. But by a ‘twist-of-faith,’ the Jesus Revolution became the greatest spiritual awakening in American history and changed the world.

Maybe there are people in your community, Pastor, that desperately need to hear the Gospel. And it just might be presented via the ‘media-of-the-day,’ Faith-Based-Film!

Dave, the Movie Guy- Dave Almgren – FaithandFamilyFilms.info

The wind and the reckoning is a must-see film!

| Faith and Family Films

What would you do for your family if there was a threat to your survival? Would you sacrifice everything? Would you lay down your life? Those are a few of the questions I was left to ponder after watching the new film from director/producer David L Cunningham called “The Wind and the Reckoning.” David has produced numerous films, including Running with Grace, To End All Wars, Path to 911 and After.

This is a story that I thought I was familiar with, but I came to find out I know very little about the history and nothing about the personal stories behind the island of Molokai. I was very intrigued to see this film, and I moved, inspired and have grown to love the Hawaiian culture. The movie was beautifully shot in Hawaii during the pandemic, as the cast and crew all lived in a bubble for the duration of the production.

What is the story about?

1893.  Based on real-life historical events as told through the memoirs of Pi’ilani herself. The Hawaiian Kingdom has been overthrown by a Western power just as an outbreak of leprosy engulfs the tropical paradise. The new government orders all Native Hawaiians suspected of having the foreign disease banished permanently to a remote colony on the island of Moloka’i that is known as ‘the island of the living grave.’ When a local cowboy named Ko’olau and his young son Kalei contract the dreaded disease, they refuse to allow their family to be separated, sparking an armed clash with brutal white island authorities that will make Ko’olau and his wife, Pi’ilani, heroes for the ages.

This movie is an entertaining, moving and an inspirational film that everyone should take the time to see. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this film on the BIG screen and to experience the story and the majestic island of Hawaii.

The Wind and the Reckoning opened November 2022 in Hawaii to great success and is releasing on the mainland in May 16 in Dallas, Portland and LA and in NYC May 19th 2023.

Click here for theater showtimes and locations: https://www.windandreckoning.com/

Check out the trailer below:

Did you miss this Announcement?

| Faith and Family Films

This past week Kingdom Story Company and the Erwin Brothers announced their next film coming to theaters in February of 2023.

The new film is called “Jesus Revolution,” and this movie has been on a long journey to bring the story to the BIG screen.

Here is the synopsis of the story:

Inspired by a true movement, JESUS REVOLUTION tells the story of a young Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney) raised by his struggling mother, Charlene (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) in the 1970s. Laurie and a sea of young people descend on sunny Southern California to redefine truth through all means of liberation. Inadvertently, Laurie meets Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), a charismatic hippie-street-preacher, and Pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer) who have thrown open the doors of Smith’s languishing church to a stream of wandering youth. What unfolds becomes the greatest spiritual awakening in American history. Rock and roll, newfound love, and a twist of faith lead to a JESUS REVOLUTION that turns one counterculture movement into a revival that changes the world

Jesus Revolution is a moving film that captures the essence of a troubled time in the late 1960s and the early 1970s. It was a time when the youth were looking for truth in all the wrong places. Eventually, many (over 250k just in California) of the 60’s generation had an encounter with God, and their lives were changed and transformed. The Jesus Revolution changed the course of history in America, and the country was radically altered for the better.

Even though this film is a nostalgic look at what God could do in the past, it is also a reminder that if God did it before, he could do it again!

Jesus Revolution stars Joel Courtney, Anna Grace Barlow, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Jonathan Roumie, and Kelsey Grammer. The movie is directed by Jon Erwin, and Brent McCorkle and will hit theaters on February 24, 2023. Click here to check out the Jesus Revolution website.

A Fork in the Road

| Faith and Family Films

12375233_10208225852984748_2333248504309808376_oWould you like some fresh ideas and methods to effectively reach your community and fulfill the great commission? That’s where I found myself in 2008, and God answered that question for me in an amazing way in my life.

I was born and raised in Hollywood. Not the Hollywood of Southern California, but the Hollywood District in Portland Oregon. In 1983 I became a follower of Christ and my desire was to fulfill the great commission in some form or fashion. In 1993 I graduated from Multnomah University and I was ready to embark on the journey to make a difference in the world. Over the years, I have been able to fulfill that desire with many mission trips, two church plants and numerous years as a pastor to youth and children. I have definitely had numerous mountain top experiences and a few low points of desperation along the way. But all in all the first few chapters have been exciting and fulfilling in so many different ways.

The next few chapters were about to be written in my story. In 2008 the story of my life was about to make a major change in the midst of uncertainty. I was facing a fork in the road and did not know what I was going to do and how I would continue to fulfill the great commission. Well, an opportunity was presented to me. But not in Portland or the Hollywood District this time, instead the Hollywood in Southern California.

The opportunity was to help spread the gospel through the medium of film and over the last twelve years I have had the privilege of working on the marketing teams for over 55 feature films. This opportunity has allowed me to continue to fulfill the great commission.14889989_793656094108018_8680511736822919009_o-1  With stories of lives challenged and changed because of films like Warroom, October Baby, Hacksaw Ridge, Woodlawn, Soul Surfer, The Star, Paul The Apostle of Christ, Breakthrough and I Can Only Imagine. The stories have been nothing short of inspiring and they reminds me that God can use anyone and anything to fulfill the great commission. I am so thankful for the door that the Lord has opened for me to be used in the “other Hollywood”.

film-movies-600xx3157-2105-0-233Currently I am working on two incredible films that deliver a powerful message that will encourage the church and will provide the opportunity to laugh and learn to love through the pain of life. The first film is “I Still Believe” and the second is a family comedy called “Selfie Dad”.

I Still Believe opens in theaters nationwide March 13th and is an inspiring love story for the ages. It’s based on the real-life story of chart-topping singer Jeremy Camp and is a powerful reminder that in the midst of life’s storms, true hope can be found. The film stars Gary Sinise as Jeremy Camp’s father and he does a fabulous job bringing insight to the story.

On June 12th, 2020 Selfie Dad hits theaters one week before Fathers Day. Some films have an inspiring faith-based message and others are fall-out-of-your-chair funny, but I don’t think there has ever been a faith film that was both? I believe Selfie Dad is that movie. Watch for the launch of the official Selfie Dad trailer on Tuesday February 25th, 2020.

Both I Still Believe and Selfie Dad are films that will inspire the church and cause people to reflect on their personal journeys. I hope and pray these films will play a part in stirring renewal and personal revival throughout America.

My journey continues and allows me to fulfill the call the Lord put on my life many years ago ‘to go into all the world and preach the gospel’ with some fresh new ideas using the medium of film to impact culture with the good news.

If you are interested in learning more about these two films and how you can utilize them to impact your community, please email me or give me a call.

David Almgren
dave@faithandfamilyflms.info
503-333-1026

 

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I Still Believe movie website
https://istillbelievemovie.com
https://istillbelievemovie.com/share-tools

 

Selfie Dad the Movie Website
The Selfie Dad official trailer is coming Tuesday February 25th, 2020.
https://selfiedadmovie.com
Image 1-18-20 at 6.28 PM

A Breakthrough Year for Your Community

| Faith and Family Films

By Pastor Jason Noble

jasonheadshot#2Every pastor and church leader I know is looking for creative ways to reach their community, and engage their congregation. In our world today it seems like it’s getting more challenging to creatively reach people in our communities who do not normally attend church. So much is vying for their time and attention. From social media to family to work to entertainment, life has gotten increasingly crazy. Cofilm-movies-600xx3157-2105-0-233uple the craziness and bombardment with the idea that church isn’t even on people’s radar and as a result we definitely have our work cut out for us. The good news is that there are incredible tools at our disposable today to creatively reach our community. This is an exciting time to live. Where we can leverage all of the tools and technology to reach people in our communities. We just have to think different, possibly change the method (we never change the message) and get creative.

Over the last two years I have traveled the nation working on the movie Breakthrough. Not only am I the real pastor in the story, I also have had the opportunity to work on the Church marketing and Engagement team. My passion and focus has been on helping pastors and congregations creatively use this movie as a tool to reach their community. The results have been incredible. Churches have literally had a $15 million-dollar tool paid for by a major Hollywood studio to reach their communities. Did you know that 70%-80% of your community have been to a movie theater? The outreach potential is amazing. People may come to the theater for a movie, before they would ever come to your church.

Hundreds of churches bought out theaters and took groups across the United States to Breakthrough. Churches literally had the opportunity to share the gospel in the theaters and people responded. The result is thousands of people were saved and introduced to local churches in a very creative way. Film impacts people in a powerful way. A great film with a powerful story can reach the heart of a person like nothing I have ever seen before. It’s an incredible tool. Breakthrough came out right before Easter, and answered the question that many pastors have which is “How can I creatively reach my community with the Easter message different than I have before.” Many churches took advantage of Breakthrough and used the movie to promote their Easter services and saw many people came back on Easter Sunday.

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Using film as to reach your community and engage your congregation is easy. The ROI or Return on investment is massive. Most of the work is done for you. All you have to do is setup the showing and arrange it group sales, promote the film, recruit volunteers to help welcome people, recruit a prayer team, and show up. The rest of the work is done for you. You don’t have to worry about concessions or even cleaning up. It’s an easy outreach that will have big impact.

Great tools are created to help you promote and plan for your film outreach. Most faith-based projects provide promotional resources, sermons series, small group curriculum, and video clips to promote the film and make it easy for churches and pastors. Churches also have the tools to equip and empower their congregation members to invite their friends and family to be their guest and come with them to the movie. A movie outreach at the theater becomes a great opportunity for your church families to engage in reaching people in their lives. Asking your friends and family to come to a movie is a very easy thing to do for most people. It’s a great tool to place in their hands to reach people.

You can also use a film to build community in your congregation, or even rent out a whole theater to take your volunteers for a volunteer appreciation. Churches can use a film for many opportunities to make an impact on their congregation and the people in their community.

There was a 15-year girl in Medical Lake WA who had the idea to use “Breakthrough” to reach all of her friends. For her birthday she asked her parents if she could rent out a whole theater. Her birthday was right around the opening weekend. She wanted all of her friends to hear the message behind “Breakthrough”. Her parents rented out the whole theater for her birthday and show “Breakthrough” to a full crowd of all of her friends. A couple of days later she died in a car accident. The kind of impact that she had will only be known when we get to heaven some day. But I promise you this 16-year girl knew what it meant to use a tool like “Breakthrough” to reach the people in her life.

SD poster 12_6_19Currently, we are working on a new movie called “Selfie Dad”  and it hits theaters June 12th, 2020. One week before Fathers Day.

So what is Selfie Dad all about?

Well some films have an inspiring faith-based message and others are fall-out-of-your-chair funny, but has there ever been a film that was both? Enter Selfie Dad.

Meet Ben Marcus, a husband and father who finds himself caught in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Ben has a lot to be thankful for, but despite everything he has achieved, he simply isn’t happy. He decides that the best way to fill the hole in his life is to fulfill his long set aside dream of becoming a comedian. And what better way to jump start his comedic career than with a YouTube channel? Much to his surprise (and his daughter’s embarrassment), a video of Ben goes viral! Just like that, his new career as “Selfie Dad” takes off, and before Ben knows it, he’s a social media phenomenon!

So why is he still unhappy?

Meet Mickey, a brash IT guy who’s studying to be a pastor. He knows exactly what’s really missing from Ben’s life. Will Ben be open to hearing the Word, and we he allow his heart and life to be truly changed?

At its heart, Selfie Dad is an inspiring story about the power of the Bible told through humor and compassion. Traditionally, faith based films with a strong message are dramas; however, Selfie Dad aims to bring healing and understanding through laughter. After all, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, right?

Selfie Dad stars comedian Michael JR, and Chondra Pierce. The movie is a great family movie that encourages dads to dig in deeper to their relationship with God. It’s a powerful movie that helps dads be better dads by digging into the Bible. The movie will be a great tool for churches to use. Pastors and Church leaders don’t miss the opportunity to reach your community and your congregation this spring with the movie “Selfie Dad” The movie will be a great follow-up for families right after Easter. It’s easy to promote the movie during your Easter services and then a couple of weeks later go as a congregation. Churches and groups are able to buy-out theaters, and take groups to the theater.

If you have any questions go to selfiedadfilm.com or if we can help you strategize to reach your community with Selfie Dad or any other movie, please email me at jason@advanceteamfilms.com or David Almgren at dave@advanceteamfilms.com.

We are praying  for you and your church and that 2020 is the most incredible BREAKTHROUGH year ever for reaching your community!

Pastor Jason Noble is featured in the highly successful Fox theatrical release of the movie Breakthrough.

It’s A Beautiful Day to Be Kind!

| Faith and Family Films

The new movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood hits theaters Friday November 22, 2019 (the Friday before Thanksgiving).  This is a must see movie for everyone that is high school age and beyond. Why you say? Because we need to be reminded what it is like to live in a world that is kind and respectful. The culture we live in today needs a fresh dose of kindness and I believe Mister Rogers delivers that message with precision in this movie.

Fred Rogers was one of the most influential Christians of the 20th century. He conveyed Gospel principles to millions, using stories instead of sermons.

In the film, Fred’s love for Jesus is made self-evident through his ability to see the inner child in everyone. He makes his friend Lloyd feel known and heard. He sees and accepts Lloyd as a child of God.

As Mark 12:31 says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
(The Holy Bible, NIV) In today’s world, we all need to be reminded of the power of love and the importance of saying, “Won’t you be my neighbor?”

Galatians 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Here are a few suggestions on how to demonstrate kindness from the Beautiful Day website:

 

  • Write a thank you note to the people in your life who have loved you into being.
  • Complete random acts of kindness in your community. Possible ideas: leave encouraging notes for others to find, post a positive review for a company, befriend someone new.
  • Offer someone a genuine compliment today.
  • Volunteer with a local nonprofit and give back to your neighborhood.
  • Coordinate a donation bin for people in need.
  • Check your road rage at the car door and practice being neighborly on the road.
  • Visit with the elderly at a nearby retirement home.
  • Participate in a neighborhood clean-up to inspire others to care for the environment.
  • Is someone moving into your neighborhood? Greet them with a knock on the door and perhaps a small housewarming gift.
  • Make an anonymous donation to a charity of your choice.
  • Host a neighborhood gathering (like a dinner party) to bless your immediate community.

 

It’s a beautiful day to be kind! Let’s put the fruit of the spirit into practice everyday and not just during the holidays. 

Thanks for your time.

Dave Almgren – Faith and Family Films

Here is the official synopsis from the Sony / Affirm Web site.

Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer (Emmy winner Matthew Rhys) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about kindness, love and forgiven

Check out the official trailer for the movie;

 

Here is the Heart of the Story video for some back story on the film;

 

 

Resources:

Here are some resources you can use to bring the message of neighborly love to your church and community! http://resources.abeautifulday.movie/