Moonlight Media, LLC

It has taken me the last two months to catch up on sleep, life, and finances after the MFF 2010, but it was worth it. First, I want to express my gratitude to the Christians in the Cinematic Arts group from McLean Bible Church, to Lisa Johnson, and to Joe Carney for their support, both financial and otherwise. I also want to thank all the filmmakers, especially Josh Weigel. I don’t know if Weigel knows yet that this festival exists, but I for one am starting to appreciate his work. His films so far have provided examples of the kind of art we want to create and see – honest stories that reach for goodness, truth, and beauty.

All I know about the MFF 2011 so far is that I hope to relocate from Leesburg and into D.C. itself. I think this will bring more attendees who walk in off the street. Most of the people who have come to the MFF these last two years live closer in to D.C., anyway. I think I will be aiming for June again, since that seemed like good timing this year.

The most exciting note of this year’s MFF is the fruit growing in its aftermath. Several attendees have taken initiative to begin their own projects. Lisa Johnson and I are building a website for “Faith & Film Networks,” an organizational entity that will connect and promote Christian filmmakers. I will post more about this soon.

One of Lisa’s contacts, Saundra Hutchison, is also helping with Faith & Film Networks and has now started a biweekly group called the Screenwriter’s Gym, to walk a group of new but committed screenwriters through the process of writing and workshopping their scripts. Another contact, Cheryl Robinson, has launched a film club in College Park, MD to watch and comment on independent film.

If I learned one thing from my years as a dual History/Literature major at Patrick Henry College, it was that Jesus Christ has been at work in every generation, weaving one huge story out of the entire world. Therefore, he is at work now, in my generation.

We humans are sinful creatures who do not acknowledge God. Therefore, every generation falls away from our center, Christ. Every generation finds its own unique ways to do this. As G.K. Chesterton writes, “orthodoxy is always radical,” because truth, beauty, and goodness are always a radical stand against the status quo.

In this time and place, our culture consumes visually. So we have to understand the tools of visual media and technology. We also have to know where we have uniquely wandered from the truth and need help. It’s obvious that we need something as a culture; we are overmedicated and more depressed than ever.

Our friends don’t struggle with a search for truth as much as they wonder whether truth even exists. We have inherited the result of skepticism, which has turned into nihilism, the idea that nothing matters. But young people in particular know that isn’t true. Lots of things matter, but why?

My generation needs a vision. We need to see. Specifically, we need to see God lived out in love, and we need old ideas explained in our language of images.

God is beauty. God is goodness. God is truth. When we create stories that are beautiful, good, and true, we both image God and glorify Him.

My Story

God instilled this life calling in me through a personal failure. I fell emotionally in love. I told my Lord, “If this doesn’t work out the way I want, nothing will be beautiful any more.”

I (Sarah Pride) thought it was time to give some context for this project, the Moonlight Film Fest. I've only just managed to connect the dots myself. Up to this point, God had me walking blind. Hopefully, this story will encourage other filmmakers as preparations for the MFF 2010 continue.

It all started because I wanted to write stories. Specifically, movies. I came to tiny Patrick Henry College (PHC) in Purcellville, VA in its third year of existence because it offered a new Creative & Professional Writing major. The theory was that this major would give me all the tools I needed to become the next great American author.

To my deepest surprise, that major dissolved my first semester, but I stayed anyway and transitioned into a straight-up Literature major. Plenty of reading, but not as much creative writing -- at least not the kind that tickles my fancy. See, my best stories are funny and completely unlike most people's stories. Literary people seem to like death, depravity, and cancer. Lots of cancer.

I want to write stories that actually work. That teach and delight. The best stories are deceptively simple, but they offer deep layers of meaning to those who have eyes to see. The very best stories, the ones that provide a value to our fellow man, are those that show us what we have trouble finding on our own -- beauty, truth, and goodness.

Such stories are organically Christian. They align with a universe created by God.

Folks from Act One in Hollywood taught a class at PHC over the summer after my freshman year. I caught my first taste of the movie industry as it stood -- decadent and unfriendly to Christians. I learned that, once a script leaves the screenwriter's hands, executives and directors rewrite it as they please. Christianity -> out. Sensationalism <- in. I knew I couldn't follow that path.

By Sarah Pride

All of us involved in Christian independent film are at the start of something. It's an exciting place to be, a fluid situation where we can set the course of a movement. Here at Moonlight Media, LLC and the Moonlight Film Fest we commit to taking stock of the landscape and to interpreting what it all means. We have learned a lot in the last several years, and it is time to distill it down.

We believe that the best stories of all time are the best because they portray beauty, goodness, and truth excellently. We believe that the fledgling Christian independent film industry must strive for the same. The world of film is still in its youth compared to the world's rich heritage of literature. It is still setting its paradigm. We believe that the best film is still to come.

Starting now, we will create regular posts and articles on several topics:

• Ideas. What kind of film should we make, and why? What does the world need? What philosophy and theology underscore proper art?
• Practicality. How do we undergo the grueling, lifelong discipline of bringing ideas into the light of day? What do we need to know about business? Lighting? Working on the set?
• Reviews. How should we process what we take in daily with our eyes and ears? How do we analyze everyday, mainstream movies under the criteria of excellence in beauty, goodness, and truth?

Ideally, we will update daily. If not that, several times a week. We hope that you will make Moonlight Media, LLC and the Moonlight Film Fest a regular stop.

By Monday, we should be ready to post the first concrete details for the Moonlight Film Fest 2010.

Beauty. Goodness. Truth. In a dark world, we all need them. We need these glimmers of eternity to carry us through and add joy to our lives.

The best storywriters focus our eyesight on these aspects of the world. The Moonlight Film Fest exists for a reason. It plants a seed, buries an idea, and watches it grow.

This year, the adventure is gonna be amazing!

I've done it once. I know I can do it again, if God is willing. I can find excellent independent film displaying beauty, goodness, and truth; I can locate an appropriate venue; and I can attract an audience.

But I can do all of this better with support. I want to organize the Moonlight Film Fest again for 2010, and I want to build it better and bigger. My first step will be to seek financial sponsors and to dream again. What can I add? With whom can I partner? The possibilities are many, and so -- back to my knees. Lord, glorify Yourself!

The Moonlight Film Fest has completed its first year -- successfully! For an East Coast, no-budget, first-year Christian festival, the 50-60 individuals who visited are quite an achievement. George Escobar's Come What May was received well by a small, eclectic audience quite different from its typical homeschool crowd. Everyone also enjoyed Dan Merchant's documentary, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers. I wish I could show it to more people, because each person who saw it seemed to take something away.

The majority of people came on Sunday for the short films. Lesson learned; people want to see the indie productions. I took up comment cards, and I will be collating them on Good Friday to see who earned the top rankings.

The next step will be to clip together a short documentary (ten minutes?) about creating the festival. I will know by the end of May if I'm going to make a run for a second year. I think it would be a good idea.

Many thanks in particular to Daniel Silver, talent scout and all-round helping hand. He is training up to be a good gaffer.

I'm excited to see what happens this weekend! The MFF is showing a lot of good films, and you are welcome to stop in. I don't know who "you" are, but I've been praying about you for months now! Whether you are Christian or not; whether there are a dozen of you or a hundred, you are still welcome.

And I still have four days to track down some more of you! I've papered the area with posters, sent out invitations through numerous sources, and handed out flyers at community events. Friday morning, I present an invitation to Patrick Henry College students in their chapel service. Friday evening, I hand out more flyers at Leesburg's First Friday event for April.

Meanwhile, I finished my short film, Caught! and entered it in the Reel Dreams competition from Regent University. I'm also showing it at the MFF, in Session 4 on Sunday afternoon.

Right now I am laying out the festival program. God is good.

This coming weekend, I will post the schedule for the Moonlight Film Fest. (See last month's post, "The hump," for a list of some of the features.) It's been a busy month. I created a poster! Or rather, re-created it, because the hard drive with all my video and graphics files died. Thankfully, someone rescued them for me after a few weeks.

I received permission to post an article about the festival on the Patrick Henry College website, since I am an alum of that college. I also added the festival to the listings on several area media websites. I'll be sending out a press release to local media on the 23rd.

Also on the 23rd, you will be able to pre-register for screenings. At that point, less than two weeks out, the final PR push begins.

Last, I attended Leesburg's First Friday community event on March 6, with video camera in tow. I and an able cameraperson handed out invitations along the street and in local businesses in Leesburg. This coming Saturday, I hope to do more posters and invite more people.

In the middle of all this, I am shooting and editing a short film for a different contest. March is a busy month.