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EMPOWER THE CHURCH-BASED FILM MOVEMENT

October 12-14, 2018

Northern, New Jersey

Spotlight Panel

Acting out Your Faith

Shanice Williams is an American actress and singer best known for her performance as Dorothy in the televised live performance of NBC's The Wiz Live! in December 2015.  The Wiz Live was nominated for three Emmy's.  

Actress Jenn Gotzon's career break portraying President Nixon’s daughter Tricia Nixon (cameo) in Ron Howard’s Oscar nominee Frost/Nixon launched her as an American Leading Lady starring in over ten family & faith films. 

Maura Gale is a renowned actress, author, evangelist, and creative visionary who has been sharing the gift of ministry and art for more than 20 years. 

These women of God will share their amazing journeys on Saturday, October 14th @ 5pm in the Acting out Your Faith seminar.  

THE FIFTH ANNUAL CHURCHES MAKING MOVIES CHRISTIAN FILM FESITIVAL RECEIVES GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM 

Our Speakers

We've assembled an A-Team of speakers who'll be on their A-Games in their seminars, workshops or just chatting with festival goers. Join us for enlightening talks,informative how-to's, or simply shooting the breeze with our hand-picked team.

Sonya McNair

Keynote 

McNair is a communications pro, film producer, and author. She has worked for many of the most prominent names in journalism, including Roone Arledge, Leslie Moonves, David Brinkley, Cokie Roberts, Diane Sawyer, Charles Gibson, Peter Jennings, David Remnick, Katie Couric, Charlie Rose, Gayle King, and others. She also has worked for three of the four broadcast television networks (ABC, CBS, FOX) and within numerous industries, including news, film, entertainment and publishing.

 

Most recently, she worked for CBS News in the capacity of Senior Vice President of Communications.

At present, McNair is an executive corporate and media strategist. She counsels Fortune 500 companies, non-profit organizations, executives and high profile talent on the implementation and sustaining of strategic initiatives, operations, and media affairs. She also designs business strategies and directs crisis communications. She is the author of newly released Every Reason to Praise and she will be signing the book at the event.

 The Making of a Church-produced Film

Micah Caronna has led the production of three films in his role as the Worship & Creative Arts Pastor at Living Word Family Church in Wake Forest, NC. The Church's first feature, Another Chance, won best picture at the 2014 Churches Making Movies Christian Film Festival.

 

Fat Chance, a coming of age drama, screens at this year's festival. Coronna and his team will wrap their third film in early October.

    

His ultimate motivation is to empower people to lead a fulfilling passionate life that attracts the lost to the arms of Jesus.

Coronna leads a seminar on The Making of a Church-produced Film on Sunday, October 15 at 1:00pm.

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Acting out Your Faith

Maura Gale is a renowned actress, author, evangelist, and creative visionary who has been sharing the gift of ministry and art for more than 20 years. Maura seamlessly FUSED these two passions to created MinARTstry, an artistic brand used to produce engaging work. Her transparent, revealing, and motivational messaging speaks to the needs of men and women at a cellular lever. This ability to penetrate beneath the surface is what sets Maura and her ministry apart.

She is known for her role as Lula in Their Eyes Were Watching God and her voice role in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of  Liberty as Fortune. She also makes appearances in TV shows such as NYPD Blue and Ally McBeal, and in the film Woman Thou Art Loosed.  Gale leads a panel, Acting Out Your Faith, on Saturday, October 14th at 5:00pm

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Crushing Creativity Killers

LaVonne McIver James is the founding director of The Churches Making Movies Christian Film Festival and the co-founder and president of VetStreamTV.  She established the festival to encourage and empower churches to utilize films as evangelical tools. 

She leads Crushing Creativity Killers on Saturday, October 14 at 10:00 am. 

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Marc Steele

Director, Undeserved

Red carpet  feature film 

Marc Steele is the director of Undeserved about  a young woman who is  suddenly forced to live with her aunt and uncle after her mother is tragically killed. The film kicks off the festival on Friday, October 13 at 7:00 pm. Steele has directed three feature films and is a working actor as well.

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Directors Panel

Sunday Oct. 15th

@2:30pm

A festival favorite, join  the directors  as they discuss their films, dedication to their crafts, their triumphs, and their creative challenges. From left to right: Taishon Black, Blind Faith; Frankie Hutto, Faith's Song, Stephen Bortsalas, Deception. 

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Red Carpet Event Singing Sensation

Juliet Nichole Jones (known as artist J. Nichole) is a native of Pennsylvania, and an award-winning Contemporary Gospel Artist who has a love of ministry and music. With her unique and anointed voice, she is reaching beyond the traditional gospel sound and gospel audience. Honored by colleagues, and adored by the public, this singing sensation is truly an inspiration. She is the daughter of a musician father and an evangelist/songwriting mother, and has had much support from her influential and talented parents. 

While in her college years, J. Nichole enjoyed singing and touring as lead vocalist with a top 40 band in PA. She then placed law school on hold, and headed out to LA to pursue her music career. While in L.A. she had the pleasure of working with many influential artist in the music industry in the pop/ r&b markets, performing at local venues with her girl group at the time, as well as a pending deal with Sony that  fell through.

After many obstacles faced in L. A. as a single mother during that time, J. Nichole started to faithfully attend church and study the Word and it was then when she quickly re - dedicated her life back to the Lord. She immediately realized God had other plans for her and her music career as a singer, writer and entrepreneur.

Schedule

Take a look at the line up

Get Passes

General  admission passes

VIP

Passes

In addition to screenings and events, VIP passes provide access to the official festival lounge and parties where pass holders interact with festival filmmakers, professionals in the film community, and other VIP guests. 

Events

It's a CELEBRATION!

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