It's Good to Believe in God produced by The Church of Almighty God Film Center screens at the Churches Making Movies Christian Film Festival, October 11 - 13th in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
“The Church of Almighty God Film Center is a non-profit organization made up of Christians from The Church of Almighty God. We strive to bear witness to the Lord of creation’s love and salvation for mankind through various video formats and to disseminate correct values in order to allow more people to explore the value and meaning of life, to recognize the almightiness and the rule of the Lord of creation, and to find a harbor for their souls, gaining God’s blessings for mankind. Since The Church of Almighty God Film Center released its first film, Mission of Love, in January 2016, under God’s guidance we have independently produced a wide variety of video works including various kinds of films, choral selections, stage plays, musicals, documentaries, and variety shows in just over two short years. Subtitled or dubbed versions in over 15 languages have already been produced for the majority of these works. Of these, films such as the gospel testimony Where Is My Home and the musical Xiaozhen’s Story have won one award after another at some international film festivals, gaining more and more attention and praise.” --The Church of Almighty God Film Center
Q. What is your film background?
A. The film “It’s Good to Believe in God” was adapted from the real experience of a Christian of The Church of Almighty God. Many people think that money brings happiness, so they labor and run themselves ragged for wealth and fame. We were in the same situation as them before we believed in God. However, when we gained everything we wanted, we still felt empty and miserable in our lives. No one knew the root of our misery, much less the value and meaning of life. Until we read Almighty God’s words, we began to see things clearly and gradually escape the bondage of wealth and fame, and now feel more relaxed and free. So we produced the film with the hope that people who are considering their lives and wish to escape the emptiness and misery can understand that only by believing in God and gaining the truth are they able to live out genuine happy lives.
Q. As a Christian, how do you see yourself impacting the film industry?
A. What we’ve done is not enough to impact the film industry. Now we are facing a practical issue that is people lacking concern for the Christian faith. Many people are indifferent to the questions they should most understand, such as, where people came from, and where they are going? who is the Creator? who is the ruler of all things? What are the Creator’s will and requirement to mankind? Why man is alive? How to live out a meaningful life?. As a Christian, we simply hope to spread God’s word through films in order to impact more people so that they can pay more attention to the heart voice of the Creator and Christianity.
Q. What was the biggest challenge you overcame to make your film?
A. In the process of making the film, the greatest difficulty we encountered was how to make a Christian film that would be liked by the audience or that would interest the audience. Nowadays, the whole mankind is facing the widespread lack of faith. Many people is not concerned with Christian films. They love the cool fights and exciting plot in the movies more than their love of truth and their concern of faith.
Q. Who are your biggest influences in film and why?
A. Almighty God is our biggest influences in film. He let us know the significance of making Christian films. It is not to pass the time, but to spread the word of God so that through the films, people are able to understand the truth, knowing what the value and meaning of life is, and who gave man life, and how to live out a valuable and meaningful life. After we have understood these things, we felt that we bear a heavy responsibility to make films. Bit by bit, under God’s guidance, we mastered some technology of filmmaking in all aspects. So we truly thank God.
Q. What is the funniest or weirdest thing that has ever happened to you on set?
A. “Again I say to you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the middle of them” (Mat 18:19-20). After producing the film, our deepest feeling is that the communication between the cast and crew is very important. In the early stage of production of the film, the writers and directors held on to their own views, believing that their thoughts were correct, so the communication at that time was simply to convince others to give in. In this case, the problems were not only not resolved, but brothers and sisters were estranged from each other and had biases against each other. Later we prayed to God and read God’s words to reflect on ourselves. Then we communicated with each other in order to be in accord. Later, we maintained an attitude of “how to make this film in order to achieve good results” and “how to make this film to better spread the word of God and bear witness to Him” to work with each other, at this point, we saw God’s guidance and blessings. Our film was soon published without any incident. Thank God!
Q. What is your favorite Bible verse? And how does this influence your filmmaking?
A. “And he said to me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely” (Revelation 21:6). The words expressed by Christ of the Last Days are freely given to people, including not only us, but also every person. It also inspired us to preach the gospel.
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
Only God’s word is the truth, and is the spring of living water of life freely given to those people who are able to accept His word. Nothing in this world can be comparable to it. It’s my mission to make films to preach the gospel, which make every day I spent meaningful.
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