Yours truly spent 4 days at the LDS Film Festival. Ironically, I find it more inviting for me then going to Sundance, which happens around the same time. Possibly because the theater they show all the films at are a mere 2 block from my house.
Also, I enjoy meeting people who made the films and actors who performed in them (which was the main focus for me this time around, as I am finishing up casting for The Last Eagle Scout). I have noticed more and more non-LDS themed films appearing. Not that it is a bad thing, or even a good thing. I look at LDS Cinema as simply this.... evolving.
Some people have complained about the quality of LDS Films (including Dutcher himself) and have bowed out of the genre. My feeling is that (1) percentage wise, how many Hollywood films are just "great". You could probably compare the same percentage of LDS films to the number of Hollywood film. Second (2), I feel that we are simply evolving into newer uses of the medium.
As an example, my new film, The Last Eagle Scout, is not LDS themed at all, in fact, it is more political and social. But because my beginnings of feature film directing started in this genre, as well as many of my actors and crew participate in LDS Cinema, it could be categorized as an LDS Film.
I think for LDS Cinema to survive, or at least to grow, it will need to "crossover". This is what I talked about in this article in the Mormon Times. I didn't know I was being quoted, but it was just fine for me. What I also added, that wasn't quoted, was that if we are to make films with a larger outreach, we need to learn to "sing and dance" the message. I think as Mormons, we are afraid to "sing and dance" the message because for some, it might lead to something immoral. Yet, we are the same society that will not blink an eye at buying the latest Indiana Jones, Star Wars or Batman films.
If we are to make films that attract the audience, we need to "look" like the ones that are being bought.
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