A Visual Story to Reach 1 Billion Women

"Magdalena: Released from Shame" is a new feature film being released by Inspirational Films. It has been one of the great privileges of my life to have been a part of this project from beginning to end as Co-Executive Producer. Tuesday night was a celebration screening for the cast and crew at Paramount Studios.

Based on the track record of Inspirational Films,it is expected that one billion women will be impacted by this film in the next ten years!!! The film is already having an impact where it has been released outside the U.S. Women often leave the theater in tears as they understand there is a God who sees and cares.

With all the recent speculation of Mary Magdalene’s role in the life of Jesus, this film beautifully portrays her as a faithful follower and first-hand witness of his miracles and teaching. “Magdalena” reflects accurately and artistically the biblical record of Jesus’ care and concern for women. In our present day, his example and teaching are radical for the way he treated women with love, respect and compassion. Consider how much more so his esteem toward women was radical in his own context. Read A Thousand Splendid Suns (#9 on Amazon as of today) by Khaled Hosseini (Kite Runner) for a gripping glimpse into the lives of women whose status is still no better than property.

To learn more about the film and find out how to order the DVD when it releases next month, go to www.magdalenatoday.com.

Visual Storytelling: Mission Possible

I had the privilege of participating in the “creativEDGE Artist Network: A Night of Film” Saturday evening. The Grove Center for the Arts and Media, the Damah Film Festival, Project 168, Coast Hills Community Church and the Veracity Project assembled a program of four award winning short films Saturday evening. In one of the largest ever faith-based film events in south Orange County, California, 750 people came out to see the films and hear the visual storytellers (filmmakers) describe how the films were created and how their faith impacted their craft.

“Freedom Within” (Eric Albertson), “Select Fit” (Daniel Roemer), “Most” (Billy Zabka) and “Max” (Jim O’Keefe) were showcased. The passion and creativity of each storyteller to translate his idea to the screen were a challenge to all who’ve thought of creating a visual story, but feel it can’t be done. Billy Zabka and his partner ran out of cash with a full crew hired when God provided an investor in a last second meeting in the London Heathrow airport. “Freedom Within” became a reality after Eric Albertson’s wife told him to stop talking about making a film, and to figure out what it would take to DO it. Jim O’Keefe saw a team of 107 people rally around his production for the 168 hour time frame given by the Project 168 film festival.

We live in the era of the possible. Visual Storytelling is accessible to each person who will dare to act on the desire God places in his or her heart.