The grand jury prize went to Christians in the Media with its film Love Thy Neighbour – a comical take on Proverbs 25:21-22 co-directed by James Cogswell and Will Mitchell. The film is about: ‘A good neighbour who seeks to befriend his bad neighbour. It comes complete with a surprise twist ending that gives new meaning to ‘If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat… in doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head and the Lord will reward you.’
Mr. Cogswell says: “Several people put a huge amount of work into the film, so it’s fantastic to receive this recognition, especially given the quality of entries this year,
Ignite and the Mary Bladon Fellowship give Christian film makers a rare opportunity to gain exposure for themselves and the Christian message. I’m really thankful for that.”
The Chinese Christian Church in Milsons Point won the people’s choice award with its film ‘Calling Down Fire’ directed by Joshua Yeo which is an: ‘Anime-style film on a musical presentation of the account of Elijah in 1 Kings.’ Mr. Yeo states: “While making it I showed it to my non-Christian uni friends and they found it enjoyable. That really created gospel opportunities. This film was helpful in starting so many good conversations.”
Annandale Community Church with its film ‘The Wise and Foolish Builder’ which was written, directed and performed by children from their Kids Plus kids club. The main point was from Jesus’s parable in Matthew 7:25-27 where Gemma Pearce one of the stars said: “My character put her trust in God who is the rock ... when you build your house on the rock it is all secure.”
Ignite Film Festival Director Marcus Cheong the Ignite Film Festival Director says: “The word was brought to light in all the films. They stood out and spoke biblical truths from Genesis to the gospels. It was a great festival. There was lots of excitement and surprises in finding out who the winners were and the voting was extremely close.”