Magnolia Pictures
presents
JESUS CAMP
Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
35mm; 1:33:1; 86 min.
Sterling Feature Grand Jury Award, AFI/Discovery Silver Docs Festival, 2006
Outstanding Achievement in Documentary, Tribeca Film Festival, 2006
Production Notes
Distributor Contact: Press Contact NY/Natâ??l: Press Contact LA/Natâ??l:
Jeff Reichert/Brad Westcott Donna Daniels/Emily Lowe Fredell Pogodin, Renee Tsao
Magnolia Pictures Donna Daniels PR Fredell Pogodin & Associates
49 W. 27th St., 7th Floor 1375 Broadway, 21st Floor 7223 Beverly Blvd., Suite 202
New York, NY 10001 New York, NY 10018 Los Angeles, CA 90036
(212) 924-6701 phone (212) 869-7233 phone (323) 931-7300 phone
(212) 924-6742 fax (212) 869-7114 fax (323) 931-7354 fax
jreichert@magpictures.com ddaniels@ddanielspr.net pr@fredellpogodin.com
bwestcott@magpictures.com elowe@ddanielspr.net
SYNOPSIS
A growing number of Evangelical Christians believe there is a revival underway in America that requires Christian youth to assume leadership roles in advocating the causes of their religious movement.
JESUS CAMP, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (The Boys of Baraka), follows Levi, Rachael, and Tory to Pastor Becky Fischer's "Kids on Fire" summer camp in Devil's Lake, North Dakota, where kids as young as 6 years-old are taught to become dedicated Christian soldiers in "God's army." The film follows these children at camp as they hone their "prophetic gifts" and are schooled in how to "take back America for Christ." The film is a first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America's political future.
DIRECTORS' STATEMENT
During the 2004 Presidential election John Edwards' "Two Americas" speech seemed like a rather unoriginal way to describe the growing divide in this country. But now, after having spent almost a year shuttling back and forth between the religious heartland of Missouri, and home in New York City, the "two Americas" concept has taken on an entirely new meaning.
Clearly there are two parallel Americas: and one is a conservative counterculture comprised of tens of millions of Evangelical Christians who feel engaged in a culture war with what they perceive as immorality and godless liberalism. They consume their own news and popular culture via Christian television, radio, and publications, and carefully expose their children both to a literal interpretation of the bible and a call to political activism.
On the surface these kids experience the same things as most middle-class kids: trips to Wal-Mart, homework, sports, dancing to their favorite music, summer camp. But quickly it becomes clear that they are living a version of childhood where devout Christianity is at the center of everything. The music coming out of their stereos may be heavy metal, but it's the Christian take, celebrating the "blood of Jesus." Their homework hails from a strict creation-based curriculum and boys on the soccer team proudly wear red bracelets imprinted with HWJC, short for "How would Jesus compete?"
And when it comes to summer camp, go-carting excursions and the water balloon toss are intermingled with raucous anti-abortion revival meetings.
The camp is a riveting example of a world many Americans either do not understand or dismiss as "fringe" and irrelevant to their own lives. But we felt perhaps they should take a closer look. The people portrayed in this film - white, middle class citizens - are part of an enormous and forceful voting block, an increasingly loud voice in American culture and politics. Together with their children they are preparing not only for Jesus to come back, but to "take back America for Christ."
What does all of this mean for Americans who call themselves secular humanists? Or those who believe in God but feel that our democracy depends on a clear delineation between Church and State? What is the significance of a generation of kids being infused with an evangelical worldviewâ??and how will it affect the country when these children come of age?
These questions informed our own journey to Jesus Camp, and we hope audiences leave the theater discussing where we are as a nation - or whether in fact we are living in two separate nations, presently at war.
- Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
FILMMAKER BIOS
Heidi Ewing
As the co-owner of the New York-based production company, Loki Films, Heidi has taken on a wide range of subjects that includes the inner workings of Scientology, ritualistic body piercing in Sri Lanka and the labyrinth that is the criminal justice system in the Bronx. Previously, she delved in the dramatic world of Cuban politics with Dissident, a film about the struggle of Havana-based Nobel Peace Prize nominee Oswaldo Paya - a film that was made clandestinely and has been shown around the world. She recently co-directed The Boys of Baraka, the critically-acclaimed documentary feature that is currently playing in cities across the United States.
Rachel Grady
The co-director of The Boys of Baraka, Rachel is a private investigator turned filmmaker. She has produced and directed numerous non-fiction films for The Discovery Channel, A & E and Britain's Channel 4. She has directed several films that focus on mental illness including Mad Justice, a verité documentary that looks at the troubling fate of mentally ill parolees and Ward 2 West, shot on location at the Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Hospital on New York's famed Ward's Island. She also acted as Series Producer for "TX" an eight part series for VH1 filmed entirely in a drug rehab. She is the co-founder of Loki Films.
Awards for Boys of Baraka
Winner, Best Documentary, Newport International Film Festival, 2005; Winner, Best Documentary, The Atlanta Film Festival, 2005; Winner, Best Documentary, Chicago International Film Festival, 2005; Official Selection, Edinburgh International Film Festival, 2005; Official Selection, Human Rights Watch Film Festival, 2005; Winner, Special Jury Award, SXSW Film Festival, 2005; Winner, Audience Award, AFI/Silverdocs Film Festival, 2005; Winner, Audience Award, Woodstock Film Festival, 2005; Winner, Best Documentary and Foreign Film, NAACP Image Awards, 2006.
FEATURED PLAYERS
Becky Fischer
Becky Fischer has been a children's pastor since 1991, having grown up in a traditional Pentecostal church environment. Having "received Jesus as Savior and the infilling of the Holy Spirit at an early age," she feels that children can be both touched and used by God. Becky had spent 23 years in business before becoming a full-time minister. She managed two family enterprisesâ??a motel, and an FM radio stationâ??over a ten year period. Then for thirteen years she owned and managed a custom sign shop of her own, Signs & Wonders, Inc., in Bismarck, ND.
During the last eight of those years, Becky spent her spare time as the children's pastor in her local church. It was then that she began to feel part of a growing army of children's ministers that see children as an "untapped resource of potential dynamos as ministers of the gospel."
Missions are a big focus of Becky's ministry, and she has traveled in Russia, the Philippines, Tanzania, South Africa, Mexico, India and several Indian reservations (Ute, Cherokee, and Sioux) training children's workers in conferences, teaching in Bible schools, training centers, and churches, as well as ministering to children in crusades, schools, orphanages, street evangelism groups, and more.
Becky now dedicates full time energy to Kids in Ministry International via her writings, mission trips, conferences, and training children and adults to be active participants in ministry. She is ordained through Christ Triumphant Church in Lee's Summit, MO. Becky also is lead pastor of The F.I.R.E. Center in Bismarck (Mandan), ND.
Mike Papantonio
Mike Papantonio says he has wanted to be a lawyer "since as far back as I can remember." When he read To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee's novel about a heroic small-town Southern lawyer named Atticus Finch, Papantonio says, "I understood that that's what I wanted to be."
One of the most prominent trial attorneys in the country, he is renowned as the lead counsel in virtually every major product liability case against the pharmaceutical, industrial products, insurance and stock broking industries. When he sees a cause he believes in, Papantonio gives it all he's got. In addition to co-hosting â??Ring of Fire,â?? he also sits on the Board of Directors of Air America Radio.
Pap has been described as "part Revival preacher, part stand-up comic" - living proof that it's possible to be both laid-back and fired-up at the same time. He insists that his high-octane professional life takes a back seat to fun and his family -- he is the devoted father of a 10-year-old daughter and usually spends several days a week scuba diving off Pensacola's Emerald Coast.
Although on Air America he frequently takes aim at the fundamentalist Christian movement, Papantonio is an active Methodist who admits that his moral compass comes from his faith. "I come from a pretty strong spiritual center, but it doesn't change the way I judge people. Simply put, the Sermon on the Mount makes much more sense to me than the frenzied rantings of America's new 'religious right'. They have become an element of American politics that threatens our sense of decency as well as our democracy."
The Kids
Levi (now 13) is from St. Robert Missouri, near Springfield, and lives with his brother, mother, and father, who is both a preacher at their church, Rock of Ages, and an employee of the US Army, which has a base at the nearby Fort Leonard Wood. Levi was "saved" at five years old and has always had a deep devotion to God. He dreams of speaking God's word to thousands, possibly in the form of a mega-church pastor.
Rachael (now 10) is also from the Rock of Ages Church in St. Robert and has been home schooled all her life. She has "an evangelizing spirit" and has recently taken to attempts to convert her neighbor to Christianity. She dreams of becoming a missionary in far flung places.
Tory (now 11) is from Lee's Summit, a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. She lives with her mom, two sisters and brother - they are all home schooled by their mother Sandra. Her father, George, a former marine, recently volunteered to fight in Iraq after feeling that God wanted him to go. Tory feels her gifts are prophesy, dance (which she studies at a home school only dance studio in town), and a calling to speak out against abortion.
EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS: SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION
There are 75 million white Evangelical Christians in the United States and over 200,000 Evangelical churches. Evangelical Christians are found in all the main Protestant denominations. There are 25 million African-American Evangelical Christians. All Evangelical Christians believe that to obtain salvation they must be â??savedâ?? or â??born-againâ?? by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior, an act that is often done publicly. 43% of all American Evangelicals were born again before reaching the age of 13.
Born-again Christians believe that when they are saved they will not go to Hell when they die, but instead they receive eternal life, and will go be with God and all other saved people in Heaven. If an individual is not born again they will spend eternity in Hell.
â??Evangelicalâ?? is a wide-reaching umbrella term that covers a diverse number of Protestant groups, including Baptists, and Pentecostals.
Many of the people in JESUS CAMP are from the Pentecostal branch of the Evangelical movement. Also known as Charismatics, they believe in the â??gifts of the spritâ?? including speaking in tongues and prophesy. There are 30 million Pentecostals in the United States and it is the fastest growing denomination of the Evangelicals worldwide.
LEADERSHIP:
Dr. James Dobson is perhaps the most influential Evangelical leader, and heads the powerful Focus on the Family organization, based in Colorado Springs. Jerry Farwell and Pat Robertson also remain influential voices to the more conservative Evangelicals.
Another powerful Evangelical lobby, the National Association of Evangelicals is headed by Ted Haggard, and represents 30 million people. He is also the Pastor of New Life Church, and appears in JESUS CAMP.
POLITICS:
Over the years, Evangelical Christians have become increasingly active in politics. Although the born-again population constituted 38% of Americans, it represented 53% of the votes cast in the election.
George Bush, a born-again Christian, has benefited from Evangelical support. In the last election over 40 % of all votes for Bush came from evangelical Christians.
Christian fundamentalists now hold a majority of seats in 36 percent of all Republican Party state committees, or 18 of 50 states, along with large minorities in 81 percent of the rest of the states.
Forty-five Senators and 186 members of the House of Representatives earned between an 80 to100 percent approval ratings from the three most influential Christian Right advocacy groups: The Christian Coalition, Eagle Forum, and Family Resource Council.
MEDIA:
100 million Americans listen to Christian radio, a 43% increase from 5 years ago.
Tim LaHaye has sold over 63 million copies of his â??Left Behindâ?? books, one of the best selling authors in American history.
CREATIONISM:
55% of 1000 adults surveyed said children should be taught creationism and Intelligent Design along with evolution in public schools.
54% of Americans do NOT believe humans developed from an earlier species (a 10% increase in 10 years: in 1994 45% of those polled did not believe humans developed from an earlier species).
MORE INFO AVAILABLE ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB:
www.beliefnet.com
www.barna.org
