‘Narnia’ nabs Faith kudos

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” took top honors at the 14th annual Movieguide Faith & Values Awards Thursday at the Beverly Hilton.

“Narnia” captured the John Templeton Foundation Epiphany Prize for most inspiring movie of 2005 and drew the family film prize.

“Madagascar,” “Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story,” “March of the Penguins” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” rounded out the top five family movies.

“Pride & Prejudice” got the nod for films for mature audiences, followed by “Batman Begins,” “Millions,” “The Interpreter” and “The Great Raid.”

Press Release:

14th Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values Awards Gala Also Honors PRIDE & PREJUDICE, THE NINTH DAY, Pat Boone, and Deanne Bray of SUE THOMAS

Disney and Walden Media’s THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, the WB’s 7TH HEAVEN, ABC-TV’s EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION, and PAX-TV’s SUE THOMAS F.B. EYE won the three biggest honors at the 14th Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry, held in the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel last night.

The glittering event, also dubbed “The Christian Oscars,” was held just days before the 78th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood and attracted more than 150 celebrities, Hollywood executives, producers, writers, and directors and their guests.

The main purpose of the annual event is to honor the studio executives, producers, directors, writers, actors, and actresses making the most morally uplifting, redemptive, inspiring movies and TV programs with Christian values, and to show Hollywood, and the world, that these kinds of movies and TV programs are among the most financially successful and popular every year.

Since the MOVIEGUIDE® Awards began in 1992, the number of movies with positive Christian content and overt references to the Gospel of Jesus Christ has increased 374 percent (from 10.4 percent of the Top 250 movies produced by Hollywood to 49.3 percent of the Top 250)!

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE and the “X-Mas” episode of 7TH HEAVEN took home the two $50,000 John Templeton Foundation Epiphany Prizes for Most Inspiring Movie and Most Inspiring TV Program of 2005. EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION, and SUE THOMAS F.B. EYE tied for the First Annual $50,000 Ware Foundation Libertas Prize for Promoting Positive American Values.

Crystal Teddy Bear Awards were flying out the door at the special event. Every winning movie and TV program received one for each producer, executive producer, writer, director, and top studio executive responsible for producing it.

There were also a couple of special Crystal Teddies handed out.

Pat Boone, legendary singing star and actor, received a Special Lifetime Faith & Values Crystal Teddy Bear Award for Dedication to Redeeming the Values of the Mass Media of Entertainment. The Crystal Teddy was given to Pat for his “tireless and superior efforts over many years to redeem the values of the mass media and to present the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the mass media.”

Deanne Bray of SUE THOMAS not only won the Grace Prize for Most Inspiring TV Performance, she also won a special Crystal Teddy for her “winsome, faithful, gracious, and wise efforts to help audiences and entertainers understand God’s Love for the physically challenged.”

David M. Anthony, won the First Bi-Annual $25,000 John Templeton Foundation Kairos Prize for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays, for his script entitled “John, The Revelator.” Heather Hughes took the $15,000 prize for second place for her script “Coincidental Miracles.” Finally, Harrison Graham Moes won $10,000 for third place for his script “Men of Iron.”

In addition to his prize money, Mr. Anthony will have his script read by top executives at four of the six major movie studios in Hollywood, including Disney, Sony, Warner Bros., and Fox, plus DreamWorks.

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE was also chosen Best Family Movie of 2005, followed by MADAGASCAR, DREAMER, MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, and five other movies.

PRIDE & PREJUDICE was picked Best Film for Mature Audiences of 2005, followed by BATMAN BEGINS, MILLIONS, THE INTERPRETER, THE GREAT RAID, and five other movies.

Below is a list of all the major winners and nominees for the 14th Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry.

14TH ANNUAL MOVIEGUIDE® FAITH & VALUES AWARDS WINNERS LIST

Sponsored by the Christian Film & Television Commissionâ„¢, the John Templeton Foundation and the Ware Foundation.

$50,000 JOHN TEMPLETON FOUNDATION EPIPHANY PRIZE FOR MOST INSPIRING MOVIE OF 2005 – THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, Disney and Walden Media

Other Movie Nominees: MILLIONS and THE NINTH DAY

$50,000 JOHN TEMPLETON FOUNDATION EPIPHANY PRIZE FOR MOST INSPIRING TV PROGRAM OF 2005 – The “X-Mas” episode of 7TH HEAVEN, the WB Network

Other TV Nominees: BEYOND NARNIA: C.S. LEWIS and POPE JOHN PAUL II

$50,000 JOHN TEMPLETON FOUNDATION KAIROS PRIZES FOR SPIRITUALLY UPLIFTING SCREENPLAYS BY FIRST-TIME SCREENWRITERS:

1. “John, The Revelator” by David M. Anthony, $25,000
2. “Coincidental Miracles” by Heather Hughes, $15,000
3. “Men of Iron” by Harrison Graham Moes, $10,000

$50,000 WARE FOUNDATION LIBERTAS PRIZE FOR PROMOTING POSITIVE AMERICAN VALUES IN 2005 – (Tie) EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION and SUE THOMAS F.B. EYE

Other Nominees: 7TH HEAVEN, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE and THREE WISHES

Best Film for Families – THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

TEN BEST 2005 FILM FOR FAMILIES (Best is first, etc.)
1. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
2. MADAGASCAR
3. DREAMER
4. MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
5. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
6. ROBOTS
7. CHICKEN LITTLE
8. THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED
9. SKY HIGH
10. VALIANT

Best Film for Mature Audiences – PRIDE & PREJUDICE

TEN BEST 2005 FILMS FOR MATURE AUDIENCES (Best is first, etc.)
1. PRIDE & PREJUDICE
2. BATMAN BEGINS
3. MILLIONS
4. THE INTERPRETER
5. THE GREAT RAID
6. THE ISLAND
7. THE NINTH DAY
8. CINDERELLA MAN
9. HITCH
10. DOWNFALL

GRACE AWARD FOR MOST INSPIRING MOVIE ACTING IN 2005 – Ulrich Matthes for THE NINTH DAY

Other Movie Nominees: Tom Wilkinson in THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE and Alex Etel in MILLIONS

GRACE AWARD FOR MOST INSPIRING TELEVISION ACTING IN 2005 – Deanne Bray for the “Beginnings and Endings” episode of SUE THOMAS: F.B. EYE

Other TV Nominees: Stephen Collins for the “X-Mas” episode of 7TH HEAVEN, Bruce Greenwood in SAVING MILLIE, and Jon Voight and Cary Elwes for POPE JOHN PAUL II

A Special Lifetime Faith & Values Crystal Teddy Bear Award for Dedication to Redeeming the Values of the Mass Media of Entertainment goes to Pat Boone for his tireless and superior efforts over many years to redeem the values of the mass media and to present the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the mass media.

A Special Faith & Values Crystal Teddy Bear Award for Dedication to Helping People Around the World Understand God’s Love for the Physically Challenged goes to Deanne Bray, star of SUE THOMAS: F.B. EYE, for her winsome, faithful, gracious, and wise efforts to help audiences and entertainers understand God’s Love for the physically challenged.