New releases supported by retailer ratings and screenings

Rising interest in inspirational movies saw them the hot category of the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) , from a central and headlining spot on the floor to the main, special-event draw.

CBA created a Family Entertainment Theatre mini-auditorum in the exhibit hall to showcase forthcoming releases and hosted a special reception for media to highlight faith films, while trailers looped on convention hotels' in-house channels and advance screenings dominated the after-hours evening offerings.

Among the new titles being promoted were Affirm Films/Sony Pictures' Soul Surfer, about teen Christian surfing star Bethany Hamilton, and A Christmas Snow, a debut movie project from Destiny Image Films in collaboration with the Narrative Television Network and Trost Moving Pictures.

Meanwhile, retailers learned that they will have to wait longer than they were hoping for the next release from the team whose best-selling Facing the Giants and Fireproof releases—the latter also producing the chart-topping tie-in book The Love Dare—have fueled the hunger for Christian films.

Co-writer and producer Stephen Kendrick—a featured speaker at the opening Pacesetter event—revealed that Courageous, the police drama addressing issues of fatherhood that has just finished shooting, will likely not be released in theaters until fall 2011.

"Of course, we would like for the movie to come out real soon, but we will just have to be patient," he said. Editing will take the next few months, he said, to be followed by advance screenings of the film for churches and other groups the makers hope will get behind it. "Then the summer hits, and there will be several superhero movies coming out at the same time, so we have to dodge the tidal wave and wait for a window," Kendrick said.

A year after the movie adaptation of Karen Kingsbury's Like Dandelion Dust premiered at ICRS, film-making brothers Kevin and Bobby Downes—whose work inspired the best-selling novelist's "Above the Line" series set in the screen world—were back to announce the Sept. 24 theatrical release of the movie, with the DVD likely following before the end of the year.

While most of the projects promoted to the Christian market are modest productions, Motive Marketing partner Richard Schirmer was at ICRS to represent the $35 million budget film There Be Dragons.

He said that the film—about Josemaria Escriva, founder of the Catholic Opus Dei movement and made by Roland Joffé, director of the Oscar-winning The Killing Fields and The Mission—"will resonate with the community of faith."

Other on-their-way titles promoted at ICRS included The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Walden Media/20th Century Fox), rare Christian comedy Holyman Undercover and holiday story Christmas With a Capital C (both Pure Flix Entertainment), inspirational film Letters to God, race drama The Least Among You (Thomas Nelson) and biopic Wesley: A Heart Transformed Can Change the World (Vision Video).

Though features dominated, the small-group and short-form section was also represented with a premiere screening of best-selling author Francis Chan's new "Basic" series. Attendees got to see "Fear God," the first 14-minute film in the seven-part series, released on DVD July 1.

As well as highlighting the wide range of new and forthcoming titles available, the movie area promoted two ways that retailers can capitalize on the opportunities.

CBA presented details of a new, video-rating system developed in association with the Dove Foundation, which helps stores identify releases to customers as "faith friendly" or "faith based" depending on content.

In addition, Pure Flix was talking up its church-screening program through which stores can license screenings for local congregations ahead of DVD releases for $149 per film, providing a way for them to promote the film in advance and build relationships with churches in their area.

Noting the growing appetite for inspirational viewing, both Spring Arbor and STL Distribution North America reported increasing the range of titles they carry, aiming to help stores.

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