Movieguide founder Ted Baehr: More films with faith themes are being made now than ever before
HOLLYWOOD — Founder of the website Movieguide and chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission, Ted Baehr, celebrated the popularity and box office successes of films featuring faith themes at the 28th annual Movieguide Awards.
At the awards show, which will be broadcast on the Hallmark Drama channel on Monday, Baehr presented the highlights of Movieguide’s 2020 Report on the film industry. His report analyzes all movies from major and independent studios in regard to their box office performance and each film's faith and family content across thousands of data points.
"When you see my charts this year, they're better than ever,” Baehr told The Christian Post in an interview last month at the award show that honors faith and family content.
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Baehr’s detailed economic analysis was shared with several Hollywood actors and filmmakers in attendance at the award show, including the creators of the “Lego Movie,” “The Simpsons,” and The Hallmark Channel, among others.
"We look at every movie from about 150 criteria, the criteria that everybody uses aesthetics, and genre theme and then we get on to the main stop biblical, redemptive, salvific [themes],” the media influencer said.
"Moviegoers prefer movies with conservative values," the 2020 Movieguide report found.
The Movieguide awards honored the Best 2019 Movies for Families, Best 2019 Movies for Mature Audiences, and Epiphany Prizes for the Most Inspiring Movie and the Most Inspiring Television Program. The Faith & Freedom Awards were also presented for both film and television, as well as the Grace Prizes.
Baehr also presented a $25,000 prize to the Best 2019 Family Movie. While on the carpet, the TV and movie critic said he believes Jesus wants everyone to have an abundant life, so he tries to persuade mainstream Hollywood filmmakers to profit off making content that has a positive message.
"Jesus said in John 10:10, ‘The devil comes to steal, to kill to destroy, but He came to give you life and more abundantly.' So Jesus wants them to have an abundant life and be blessed,” Baehr told CP.
He added, "I grew up in the entertainment industry. My parents were movie stars. I grew up far lost as you could be, and yet God gave me a more abundant life.”
Baehr now has 11 grandchildren and said, “I'm blessed to have all these people here. So I came out of the dark side.”
To learn more about the detailed economic analysis of the report, tune in to watch the Movieguide Awards on the Hallmark Drama channel on Monday.
