2013 Festival Highlights
Select Reels from 2013 Jubilee Ceremony
2013 Best of Festival Winner
2013 Feature Film Winner
2013 Sanctity of Life Winner
Faith and Doug Phillips Sing a Duet
Daniel Craig Sings A Mighty Fortress
Past Festival Highlights
Kirk Cameron on ‘Monumental’ at 2012 Christian Filmmakers Academy
Kirk Cameron, a special guest at the 2012 Christian Filmmakers Academy, shares his view that Christians need to embrace an optimistic perspective on the power of the Gospel to build free nations. He urges Americans turn back to the biblical themes embodied by reformers like the Pilgrims that laid the foundations for American liberty — themes explored in greater depth in Cameron’s new film ‘Monumental’. The documentary is set for release for a special one-day showing in theaters on March 27. [97.9 MB]
The 2012 Grand Prize Winner
Powerful, God-honoring acceptance speech from Stephen Kendrick at 2012 SAICFF as he wins $101,000 for ‘Best of Festival.’ [109.8 MB]
Tryg Jacobsen Talks about Brand Building at 2012 CFA
Tryg Jacobsen, a nationally-recognized expert on branding, offered two lectures on brand-building at the 2012 Christian Filmmakers Academy. Mr. Jacobsen has taught branding methodology for 17 years and has worked with such clients as Culver’s Restaurants, First Alert, Fisher Nuts, Carl Buddig, Sargento Cheese, Kimberly Clark, Mercury Marine, Bemis, Kohler Co., Trek Bicycles, and the Green Bay Packers. In this clip, Mr. Jacobsen speaks to Academy students on the importance of earning trust as a brand — by making a promise and keeping it. [37.7 MB]
The 2010 Grand Prize Winner
When accepting the $101,000 award for Best of Festival for his film Agenda, Curtis Bowers presented a humble, powerful, and beautiful testimony of gratitude, demonstrating the kind hand of God in answering the prayers of children. [68.1 MB]
Kirk Cameron Speaks of the Importance of “Fearing God” in Christian Acting
Kirk Cameron shared his testimony and lessons learned from acting both in and out of Hollywood at the 2010 Christian Filmmaker’s Academy. This included a series of coaching sessions on stage with students attending the event. One of the questions posed to Mr. Cameron had to do with how to [33.7 MB]
Stephen Kendrick of “Courageous”
At the 2010 Christian Filmmaker’s Academy, Stephen Kendrick (the Producer of “Flywheel”, “Facing the Giants”, and “Fireproof”) presented a keynote message entitled “Courageous: The Vision, The Story, The Lessons.” He reminded the students to guard the blessing of God, offering practical teaching about crew interactions on set (“treat your people with respect,” “be slow to take offense, quick to forgive”). Here’s a snippet. [39.8 MB]
Radioactive: How the Radical Environment Movement Is Poisoning the World Through Media
Doug Phillips' keynote address entitled “Radioactive” critiques Food, Inc., Avatar, The Cove, 2012, the Al Gore documentary, and more as he surveyed two issues: first, the effectiveness of Hollywood pantheists and environmentalists to subvert culture through media; and, second, the absence of a thoughtful response in film from the Christian community because we have abandoned the dominion mandate, and failed to mount an army to take the field. Watch the clip. [88.7 MB]
The SAICFF is pleased to announce exciting changes in our awards line-up. We are now offering a $101,000 grand prize—the largest first-place cash prize in the world!. [8.3 MB]
Jerry Rose, three-time president of the National Religious Broadcasters, receives the “Best Documentary” award for
Acts of Mercy, a powerful film which shares the hope that the Mercy Ships have brought to victims of deformities in West Africa. Hosted by Bill Kurtis, veteran A&E journalist and former CBS Morning News anchor, and co-produced by Mr. Rose, president of the Total Living Network,
Acts of Mercy chronicles the service performed by surgeons onboard the
Anastasis, a 522-foot floating hospital. [5.5MB]
The finalists for the grand prize jubiliee award for Best of Festival at the 2006 San Antonio Indepedent Christian Film Finalist included five films —
Acts of Mercy,
The Choice,
The White Handkerchief,
The Oath of Desormeau, and
Day of Reckoning.
The White Handkerchief, a twelve minute film that explores one man’s deep desire to reconcile with his parents, took runner-up for “Best of Festival,” while
The Oath of Desormeau, which also received “The Audience Choice” Award by a runaway margin, garnered the top prize at last year’s event. [4.0MB]
The Jim Bob Duggar Family, stars of the Discovery Health Channel’s number one hit-special, “Raising 16 Children,” perform “May the Lord, Mighty God, Bless and Keep you Forever” to the tune of “Edelweiss.” During an earlier hour-and-a-half session with this home schooling family of sixteen, festival attendees got a powerful glimpse into the way a large Christian family works together as a team in a successful project of national impact. The Duggars humble testimony of trusting God for children was an inspiration to many. [5.8MB]
Richard and Kristena Ramsey of Aletheia Stage and Film Company, receive the “Best of Festival” Jubilee Award — a $10,000 grand prize — for their film,
The Oath of Desormeau. In addition to landing the festivals’ top honor in 2006,
The Oath gave the Ramseys their second Audience Choice Award in two years as they claimed the same prize for
Washington’s Cross at the 2004 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. Festival founder Doug Phillips observed that in 2006
The Oath “best represent[ed] the values, the vision, and the belief of [the]...festival, a belief which encourages...fathers to turn their hearts to their children and husbands to their wives.” [9.4MB]
Stephen Kendrick, the co-writer and producer of
Facing the Giants, shared the behind-the-scenes story of his highly successful independent film at the 2006 festival. Kendrick offered these words of hope to attendees, “The Lord has done a very unique things here with [the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival]. He is putting believers — putting it on their radar screen where you are making movies now to get you ready for what God is going to do in the future. And He’s calling us to boldly proclaim the truth to set people free from the darkness.” [8.8MB]