Ministry Launches Nationwide Search for Screenwriters of Faith
Atlanta-based arts and media group Art Within will select five screenwriters for year-long program.
“Criticize by creating,” is the call that Atlanta-based arts and media group Art Within is issuing to screenwriters across the nation with the launch of a year-long program this fall.
Officially beginning on Oct. 12, the ministry’s Art Within Labs fellowship program is “committed to fostering the next generation of screenwriters compelled to explore with excellence the intersection of faith and storytelling.”
“There is a tremendous interest in Hollywood for scripts that will actually capture [the Christian] market, and if anyone should be answering this call it should be [Christians] saying, ‘here are the writers, here are the scripts,’” says Bryan Coley, artistic director for Art Within.
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For Coley, a script that can “capture” the Christian audience is one that, “can blend the hope and truth of the Gospel in a culturally relevant way” – a concept that, he says, is lacking in Christian filmmaking.
“If you ask the average person what a Christian film is, they usually say it’s something with a priest character, or a nun, or people in robes, or something that’s apocalyptic, and that doesn’t reflect my faith,” says Coley. “What we’re trying to do [at Art Within] is to find ways for people to express their faith in ways that are more indicative of their faith, and, at the same time, are entertaining and thought provoking as well.”
“The biggest remark people have against Christians is that we’re not authentic,” continues Coley. “There’s not a sense [in Christian film making] of authenticity to bring out both sides of an argument or to explore the skeletons in our closets.”
“[Art Within] is trying to make sure that the work that we do is going to hit the empathetic chord in people and penetrate them on a deeper level.”
Modeled after the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriter Lab in Utah, Coley is hopeful that Art Within Labs will help in bridging the gap between faith and art.
“Through [Art Within]’s development process, we have learned so much about how to encourage and challenge writers to take faith principles from their own lives and integrate them into their stories,” says Coley. “Art Within Labs now gives us the opportunity to do this on a national scale.”
Up to five writers will be selected this year for the Art Within Labs program, each being awarded $10,000 for a year-long fellowship, during which, each are required to produce a completed screenplay.
The screenwriters will be flown to the Labs in Atlanta four times during the process, beginning with an intensive two-week workshop this November with Art Within’s creative team. Industry professionals will also be brought in for mentorship and evaluation.
The Labs program will conclude with staged screenplay readings at Art Within’s annual Showcase and Symposium.
“In the history of film there have been works of art that have been catalyst to more art like that being created,” says Coley. “And we’re looking forward to experimenting with the voice of faith to create content that can be a springboard for many, many more artists to be inspired to create material like that or create material that builds upon that.”
Applications for the search for the “next great screenwriters of faith” will be accepted through Sept. 2. The winners will be announced on Sept. 23.
To register or for more information, go to www.artwithinlabs.org.
