CV NEWS FEED // Religious filmmaking and Catholic media are beginning to come into their springtimes, according to an op-ed from Angelus News.
Angelus News highlighted a Catholic production company, 4PM Media/10th Hour Productions founded by Catholic converts Jack and Jaimie McAleer. Their son-in-law, Dan Johnson, also does direction and production work for the company.
While some faith-based media or film companies have produced “religious films with dubious theology or clunky filmmaking,” according to Angelus News, others have created art that easily reaches a large audience.
4PM Media/10th Hour Productions has proved to be the latter type, focusing on faith-based films and series available for free on the company’s streaming service, Wild Goose TV. Under Johnson’s direction, the company has released a documentary series called “My Father’s Father” hosted by Fr. Dave Pivonka of Franciscan University, “Metanoia,” which follows Fr. Pivonka throughout the Holy Land, and more.
The company also produced another documentary on Venerable Jerome Lejeune, the pro-life scientist who discovered Trisomy 21, the extra chromosome responsible for Down Syndrome.
Angelus News reported that the productions are aimed at a Catholic audience, but that it’s not “preaching to the choir.”
“With polls showing so many self-identified Catholics with little or no understanding of the Real Presence, marketing the content of 4PM Media/10th Hour Productions to parishes across the nation makes sense,” Angelus News reported.
“[T]here are Dan Johnsons all over the country — men and women in film schools, studying media in places like John Paul the Great Catholic University in Escondido, where future filmmakers will come and make their mark,” Angelus News continued.
As CatholicVote recently reported, John Paul the Great Catholic University is focusing on educating students in the visual arts to communicate the Catholic faith and impact culture for Christ.
There are currently two Catholic films widely available in movie theaters or streaming: Cabrini, a biographical drama film about the life of Italian religious and saint Francesca Cabrini; and Jesus Thirsts, a film that takes viewers on a global journey to uncover the transformative power of the Eucharist.
“The challenge is daunting, and the overwhelming power and wealth of the vast majority of movie-making machinery worldwide is not friendly to faith-based values. The odds are long, but the faith is mighty,” Angelus News concluded.
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