Following on the heels of last
years first San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival and
Jubilee Awards, which drew more than seven hundred participants from
around the globe, Vision Forum Ministries has announced a new venture: the 2005 Christian Filmmakers Academy, a technical boot camp for aspiring culture changers.

The first Christian Filmmakers Academy will be held in the Alamo city on October 24-26, followed by the Second Annual San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival on October 27-29.

In launching the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival and
Jubilee Awards last year with its $10,000 grand prize, our goal was to
showcase and reward the work of Christian filmmakers who had artfully communicated a Christian worldview through their film production,
explains Doug Phillips, president of Vision Forum Ministries. With the
Christian Filmmakers Academy, our goal is different: it is to give
aspiring Christian filmmakers the nuts-and-bolts skills they will need to
be successful in this critical arena of the arts.

The academy will offer more than sixteen hours of formal classroom instruction from seasoned industry professionals, personal discussion and interaction with school faculty and guest lecturers, and the opportunity to network and build
professional personal relations with like-minded individuals interested in
independent Christian filmmaking. Veteran filmographers Geoff and Isaac
Botkin, producer/director Ken Carpenter, and seasoned adventure
cinematographer David Rasmussen will be the featured faculty for the academy.

Classroom topics will include: an introduction to Christian
philosophy of independent film, lighting techniques, camera-work, editing
basics, animation, production logistics, choosing projects, making public
affairs documentaries, producing a human interest short, how to direct a
television multi-camera studio project, a live critique/analysis of
students work, ideas, projects, and more.

When it comes to the medium of film, our goal is not to curse the
darkness, but to light a candle, observed Phillips. The Christian
Filmmakers Academy is a candle-lighting endeavor which we hope will equip
filmmakers to produce motion pictures that communicate the most noble
biblical values with technical excellence and creative artistry, and which
make sound business sense.

For more information on both the Christian Filmmakers Academy and the San
Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, visit the official Web site: www.independentchristianfilms.com.