Faith and Family Awards Reach Epiphany
Nominations Announced for $200,000 Prizes for Most Inspiring Movie and TV
Program of 2013 at 22nd Annual Faith & Values Awards Gala, Set for Feb. 7
Hollywood, Calif. – Epiphany is coming!
Dr. Ted Baehr, media critic and founder of Movieguide®: The Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment and the Christian Film & Television Commission®, announced the nominees for the $100,000 Epiphany Prize for the Most Inspiring Movie of 2013 and the $100,000 Epiphany Prize for the Most Inspiring TV Program of 2013.
The announcement of the winners of the Epiphany Prizes will be the highlight of the 22nd Annual Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry, to be held Friday, Feb. 7, at the Universal Hilton Hotel in Universal City, in the heart of Hollywood.
The Epiphany Prizes are supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation (www.templeton.org). They are given every year to the best, most inspiring movie and television program that resulted in a “great increase in man’s love or understanding of God.”
Traditionally, an epiphany is a special manifestation or revelation from God.
“This year, we had more top contenders for the Epiphany Prizes than ever before,” Dr. Baehr said. “It was very hard to narrow down the nominees into just five. 2013 has been a tremendous year for Godly, inspirational content, one of the best ever.”
The nominees for the $100,000 Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring Movie are (in alphabetical order with major distributor):
42 – Warner Bros.
Black Nativity – Fox Searchlight
Grace Unplugged – Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate Films
Man of Steel – Warner Bros.
The Tower – CJ Entertainment
The nominees for the $100,000 Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring TV Program are (in alphabetical order with major distributor or network):
The Bible – The History Channel/A&E Networks
The “Bad Blood” Episode of Blue Bloods – CBS-TV
The Cross – Fox News Channel
The “Til Duck Do Us Part” Episode of Duck Dynasty – The A&E Channel/A&E Networks
The “Back to School” Episode of Last Man Standing – ABC-TV
The prize money in each category will be equally divided among the major filmmakers and television artists behind the winners, including the director, the writer, and the top producers.
Past movie winners have included “Les Miserables,” “The Blind Side,” “Fireproof,” “The Nativity Story,” “The Passion of the Christ,” “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” “Amistad,” and “Courageous.”
Past TV winners have been “Amish Grace,” “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story,” “7th Heaven,” “Touched by an Angel,” “Doc,” “Love Comes Softly,” “Christy,” and “Walker, Texas Ranger.”
For more information about the Epiphany Prizes, please visit the website at www.epiphanyprizes.com.
Known as the “Crystal Teddy Bear Awards,” the Faith & Values Awards Gala also features awards for family movies, movies for mature viewers, inspiring performances, and movies and television programs promoting traditional social values such as liberty, religious freedom, patriotism, representative government, and free market principles.
The John Templeton Foundation (www.templeton.org) funds independent research and public engagement to pursue big questions and discoveries on life’s purpose, human potential, and ultimate reality. The Foundation’s motto, “How little we know, how eager to learn,” exemplifies its support for open-minded inquiry, commitment to rigorous scientific research and related scholarship, and encouraging civil, informed dialogue among scientists, scholars, theologians, and the public at large.
Author of “The Culture-Wise Family” and “How To Succeed in Hollywood (Without Losing Your Soul),” Dr. Baehr is chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission® (CFTVC) and its family guide to movies and entertainment, Movieguide® (www.movieguide.org). CFTVC and Movieguide® are an international, non-profit ministry dedicated to “redeeming the values of the entertainment industry by influencing industry executives and by informing and equipping the public about the influence of the entertainment media.”
At the Awards, Dr. Baehr will present highlights from Movieguide®’s 2013 Report to the Entertainment Industry, a comprehensive financial analysis of the movie business showing what kinds of movies and what kinds of movie content moviegoers favor the most with their hard-earned money.
For more information about Movieguide® or CFTVC, visit www.movieguide.org or call 1-888-248-6689.