Joy to the world! An array of Christian film content awaits.
THE POWER OF Christ has compelled cinema for a long time. But things are changing in what is called “faith-based” cinema: the quality and quantity of Christian filmmaking seems to be increasing, exponentially. “It’s become much more sophisticated,” says Thomas Bonifield, editor of ChristianFilmBlog.com and director of 2020’s family caper Miracle On Christmas. “Christian movies have had a reputation for being cheesy and fairly amateurish in terms of their production values. But that has changed.”
While there remains plenty of cheap-andcheerful-and-churchgoing films, religious content is now attracting bigger budgets, mainstream studio distribution, and A-list talent. Sony has a Christian division, Affirm Films; Lionsgate has partnered with Christian production company Kingdom Story Company; Mark Wahlberg has said he is focusing on faithbased work after putting millions of dollars into 2022’s biographical drama Father Stu. (Having household names involved “adds some legitimacy to the movie”, thinks Bonifield. “It opens the door a little wider for people who might be otherwise disinclined to go see a Christian movie.”)