One of the best and most important awards galas took place Wednesday night. And no, you won’t see any replays on E! TV Network. And no, there won’t be much media banter about what everyone was wearing. I’m not even sure there was a red carpet.
But if you’re a person of faith, you should know about it.
“Movies with no sex, nudity, foul language, and substance abuse made significantly more money in America and Canada than movies with some depicted sex, nudity, vulgarity, and substance abuse.” Such was the message of the evening, according to a Tom Snyder, Editor of Movieguide.
The event also boasts having the longest title of all the awards shows: “The 17th Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry.”
“It’s been a year of faith and values,” said Dr. Ted Baehr, the Chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, a non-profit organization committed to educating the entertainment industry and the general public of the media’s impact on its audiences. Among the other highlights of his 2009 report, he added “People want good to triumph over evil. They want to be inspired.”
While many have never heard of him, Baehr’s has been crusading for the values of Christians for a long time. From “Oprah” to “Entertainment Tonight,” “CNN” to “The 700 Club,” and going back as far as “Geraldo” and the “Morton Downey, Jr. Show,” Baehr has been pointing Hollywood towards profits to be made and positive results for our culture if it would only pay more attention to producing products for the Christian audience. He has written for USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Hollywood Reporter, and U. S. News and World Report.
And this awards show doesn’t just give away statues or trophies–it gives away cash!
“Fireproof” and “Christmas Choir” both won Epiphany Prizes of $100,000. Three up and coming script writers won $50,000 each for their efforts to write original screenplays that lift up the values held so dear by followers of Christ throughout the world.
You can find more information about this perspective on movies–and reviews of upcoming films from a Christian point of view–at MovieGuide.
