Films that honor faith and family stayed in the spotlight throughout this year’s ICRS, with a variety of film screenings scheduled Sunday through Tuesday. Actors, directors, producers, studio executives and distributors connected with retailers during the screenings, as well as in question-and-answer sessions, workshops and general sessions.

Tuesday’s screenings included a preview of When Calls the Heart, an original television series based on the classic four-novel series by Janette Oke that will air on the Hallmark Channel beginning early next year. The historical series is directed by Michael Landon Jr. and follows a young woman who discovers her passion and purpose after reading her aunt’s journal and following her aunt’s footsteps on an adventure to become a school teacher in the wild west.

Oke and Landon thanked retailers, posed for pictures and answered questions after the event. When asked why he wanted to produce a TV series set in a time period close to his father’s classic Little House on the Prairie series, Landon said he loved how his dad’s show brought families together and wanted to recreate that kind of family-friendly programming.

"I loved sitting around the table sharing a meal or watching a show together with all the family in one room, not like today when you have the kids in one room watching a show and the parents in another room watching something else," Landon Jr. said. "I wanted to create something that everyone could watch together."

When asked whether faith-based films are getting bigger budgets and better production, Landon hesitated before finally admitting there is still a lot of ground to be gained. "Until the viewing habits of Christians become different than the viewing habits of non-Christians, I don’t think we’ll see the studios change the kind of content they are putting their money into," he said.

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