The question of the future of Mormon Cinema has been bandied about by many groups, publications and forums lately. Its very survival (at least for the time being) has seemed in question. This past Saturday I had the great pleasure of attending the sixth annual LDS Film Festival at the Scera Theater in Orem, Utah. Unfortunately, I had been unable to attend the week’s prior events, but I got a very nice microcosm of the event. But even there, I had the sense that LDS Film was taking a dynamic shift. Although, many of the films that I saw still had Mormon characters and locations (a couple even still overtly so), there was certainly a different direction many were headed. More universal movies, less Mormon-centric. Crossover is now the holy grail of Mormon Cinema. While others are preparing the movement’s eulogies.
Personally, I hope that there are those who continue in the genre and are able to breathe new life into it. Ever since I heard of “God’s Army,” I’ve been very interested and watchful of the movement. That said, however, I was very pleased with the films I saw, and am beginning to think that more universal stories may be Mormon Film maker’s best bet, especially after seeing the gem of the festival, “Mr. Dungbeetle.”
The Festival itself is a great service not only to participators in the LDS Film genre, but also to the community. I hope it has a long and growing life.
I’ll try to encapsulate my experience at the festival, giving what I thought were highlights:

LDS FILM FORUM- NEXT GENERATION FILM MAKERS AND AUDIENCES:
I started off the morning with attending a forum with Gideon Burton (BYU Studies/ BYU English Department/ AML Contributer), Sharon Swenson (BYU Department of Theater and Media Arts) and Thomas Lefleur (BYU Department of Theater and Media Arts). This forum was a much more academic approach to LDS Film, yet throroughly interesting. It’s encouraging to see that LDS Film has competent individuals enhancing the movement with dramatic criticism and scholarly studies.
GIDEON BURTON:
Gideon Burton began the forum, first discussing some of the resources that are now being made about LDS Film, including the on-line Mormon Literature Database that is now including film (and soon other artistic works, even reaching out to music). He also mentioned an upcoming issue of BYU Studies that will be dedicated to Mormon Cinema. The majority of his comments, however, centered on a scholarly work that Randy Astle composed detailing the five “waves” of Mormon Cinema. Burton made the point that, although “God’s Army” was the impetus for the creation of more independent Mormon films distributed on a larger scale, yet it was not Dutcher who truly created the first Mormon Cinema. The seeds for Mormon Cinema have existed nearly as long as the medium itself.
Beginning in the era of silent films and continuing through our most recent string of Mormon independent film makers, Mormonism has a long history.
Burton identified five waves, from Astle’s research. The first wave (from the turn of the 19th century through the 1920s) included the silent era “Mormon explotation films” such as “Trapped by the Mormons” to the first LDS Filmmakers the Clawson Brothers, whose actualities (documentaries) ranging from such things as Church leaders playing golf and General Conferences to pioneer commemorations. With the Mormon exploitation films reveling in fear mongering, these silent era films were trying to counteract the slander with the same medium.
The second wave (1929-1953) had a similar focus as the “Home Literture” phase in Mormon Letters. This “Home Cinema” was to use the medium to as a strength for the Church and the Family. We also see two notable entries in the history of Mormon Cinema. Based on a book by B.H. Roberts and then a play, “Corianton: A Story of Unholy Love,” beat Richard Dutcher as the first independent LDS film by several decades. “Corianton” was thought destroyed and lost, but recently a copy has been found, which will soon be restored. Then there was also the mainstream Hollywood film with Tyrone Power and Vincent Price, “Brigham Young” (later re-named “Brigham Young: Frontiersman”). This era was also identified with continuing efforts made by the Church to use film in public relations efforts. After a visit with Walt Disney, Church leaders spear headed a series of documentaries on the Church Welfare System in conjuction with Disney. This also led to the creation of the Motion Picture Studios at BYU (one of only two established at academic setting the U.S. at the time). David O. McKay and Gordon B. Hinckley became especially visible leaders pioneering the use of film in the Church, even into the most holy of experiences of the LDS faith in the temple endowment.
The third wave (1953-1974), headed by Judge Whittiker at BYU’s studios, included notable institutional films as “Windows of Heaven,” “Man’s Search for Happiness,” “The Lost Manuscript,” “Johnny Lingo,” etc. There was also some attempts made by independent film makers.
The fourth wave, dubbed the “Mass Media Era” (1974-2000), saw the advent of vistor’s centers films, non-BYU Church films, and an increasing number of institutional and BYU films such as “The First Vision,” “The Mailbox,” “How Rare a Possession,” “Mountain of the Lord,” “Together Forever,” “Lamb of God,” among others. Also we see from this era anti-Mormon films such as “The Godmakers,” which caused the Church to re-double its efforts to in the realm of film to counteract those who were using the medium to besmirch the Church’s character. Then there were the direct to video films such as the animated “Living Scriptures” videos and such films as “The Christmas Mission.” Then of course, there came the higher quality films being shown at the Church’s Joseph Smith Memorial Building: “Legacy” and “The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd.”
Which brings us to the current phase we’re in, pioneered by Richard Dutcher’s “God’s Army” in 2000, which then led to such films as “Singles Ward,” “Brigham City,” “The R.M,” “The Other Side of Heaven,” “Charly,” “States of Grace,” “Saints and Soldiers,” “The Work and the Glory,” “The Best Two Years,” etc. Ruled by independent film makers, the current era has had its successes and flops. Not to mention its rivlaries, with wacky, Utah culture based Halestorm on one end of the spectrum and more serious film auteurs like Richard Dutcher on the other end, and Mormon audiences in the middle, at first enthralled and entranced by the novelty of a Mormon movie, and then increasingly skeptical. At one end of the production spectrum they had their intelligence insulted with increasingly stupid comedies and the other end tried to push them to fast into “edgy” places where they weren’t prepared to go, especially considering the conservative context of Utah culture. It also seemed increasingly difficult to compete with mainstream films, especially with the limitations inherent with small budget public relations. So it may seem that this particular wave of Mormon Cinema may be on its last legs.
Which naturally leads to the question of what wave comes next? What will this sixth wave consist of? From what I can tell from the festival, more and more film makers are abandoning the “Mormon movie,” and trying to follow the example of Napoleon Dynamite, hoping for similar mainstream successes. Even this wave’s founder, Richard Dutcher (who I once heard say that he was only interested in making LDS Films), has expressed sentiments stating that he is now no longer making films for the Mormon audience, and is casting his eye towards larger, hopefully more appreciative fish.
So is that the next wave? The mainstream Mormon filmmaker? Or will there be something in this “last” batch of Mormon films that will catch the fancy of the Mormon public and breathe new life into the genre?
SHARON SWENSON:
Sharon Swenson then spoke on “Seeing and Believing: Mormon Spectatorship,” focusing not on Mormon filmmakers, but the Mormon audience. Swenson is very interested in what a Mormon “spectator” brings to a film, and how that spectator then sees the film through their own lens. She said that a film doesn’t exist to a spectator, until that spectator watches it. The film then becomes a part of one’s spiritual life. A tool to help one learn about one’s self, about others and about God.
A question Swenson aked which I thought was interesting consisted of, “When Mormons watch films, do they experience a film differently than other people?” I immediately thought of (and commented on) my initial response to the first “Pirates of the Carribean.” Walking out of that film, I said to my sister, “Jack Sparrow is like Joseph Smith.” My sister didn’t buy it, but I made that connection within myself because of the film. Although the world saw Joseph Smith as a criminal, a villain, a polygamist– a pirate– yet he was a good man. A hero. Now Jack Sparrow is certainly not a prophet (from what we’ve seen) nor called by God, but the response rang true to me. We must not see through society’s eyes when judging a person, but through God’s. So that’s what I immediately thought of when Swenson posed that question. And its only been my experiences with Mormonism that would have led me to have this spiritual epiphany about Joseph Smith while walking out “Pirates of the Carribean.”
THOMAS LESEUR:
While Swenson focused on what a Mormon brings in viewing a film, Leseur focused on what a Mormon brings in creating a film.
Leseur posed the question as to whether we have truly found the real “Mormon Aesthetic.” In his opinion, most Mormon film makers are simply making standard Hollywood films. There’s been very little that has truly come a truly Mormon core. Superficially, of course, our culture is still being represented, facts about history, about of quirks, about our experiences. But Leseur seemed to indicated that there needed to be something more. That we needed to dig deeper within ourselves and delve deeper into Mormonism’s particular aesthetic.
Leseur, with additional comments by Burton, also dwelled upon what art and religion does in helping create Mormon communities. And what Mormon film crews create AS A GROUP. Seeming to shy away from the idea of auteurs being involved at every step, but touching upon the idea of a Zionistic film and how Mormons could contribute to such an enviornment.

There was a good deal of food for thought throughout the whole forum, which not only applied to Mormon movie makers, but Mormon Creative Artists in general.

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