Way back in 2006 I noted with interest Fox’s plunge into ‘faith-films’ (see Greenflame · 20th Century Fox To Release Christian Films). Now while Fox Faith still exists, I’m not sure what its affect outside of the US has been.

Then recently over at the Guardian, Catherine Shoard posted a couple of pieces (an article and a blog post) wondering about faith films and how they might function outside of the US. See:

Gotta have faith: what’s your relationship with God at the flicks? | Catherine Shoard | Film | guardian.co.uk

Faith films perform a marketing miracle | Catherine Shoard | Film | The Guardian

“There is something emerging,” says Gaydos, “of which faith films are only a part. Inspirational stories are the real market. The definition of faith movies will morph a bit – they’ll become edgier and darker and more complex. They’ll succeed because the market of people who consider themselves to be ‘spiritual’ makes the Christian market even bigger.” A message based around self-help is woolly enough not to scare away the unconvinced, and it also introduces surprising notes of genuine inquiry: “I wish everyone would stop telling me to pray,” says the mother in Letters. “It’s not saving my son.”

Might be worth pursuing this in class (or tutorials) later this semester.