CCMT film Festival kicks off!

The CCMT film festival is underway and has already proved both entertaining and insightful. The event began on Sunday evening with Roland Joffe's acclaimed film The Mission, and continued on Wednesday evening with three new short films, which were introduced and discussed by Susan Bowden-Pickstock with John Inge, Bishop of Huntingdon.

The first film shown was Stones, directed by Phil Mash, which explored the idea of baptism. Bishop John praised the moving nature of the film and highlighted in particular the striking imagery of death and new life contained in the film.   Stones was made by Serpents & Doves productions to raise questions and spark conversations. The DVD is available as a resource for churches and leaders, and can be ordered here.

The second film shown was For His Loving Care, a touching exploration of bereavement, and the CCMT was delighted to welcome its director Bayu Prasetyo to the event to discuss the film. The simple visual style of the film and its subtle and poignant reality made a definite impression on the audience, and demonstrated the power of film when used almost entirely as a visual medium.

The third film was We Three, a more surreal and complex "fairytale parable", which provoked heated discussion which most of the audience continued for some conasiderable time after the event in the bar. Although opinions were divided about the meaning of the film, the value of film as a tool for provoking discussion and thought was more than adequately demonstrated by the debate.