Film festival isn’t averse to the Bible

Saturday was a day of milestones at the Alex Theatre during the sixth annual 168 Film Festival, which gives filmmakers one week to write, shoot and produce a film based on a Bible verse selected at random.

This year’s winner for Best Film — “Stained,” which is about a society that isolates its undesirables — became the first production shot on a high-density RED ONE Digital Camera to take the top prize at a festival.

The RED ONE camera is being touted as a more cost-effective tool for fledgling filmmakers to capture big-budget movie quality.

In addition, the festival, which was held for its third consecutive year at the Alex, attracted the most entrants in its history, said John Ware, founder and executive director of the 168 Film Project.

Thirteen films were showcased during the festival’s first year, and this year that number jumped to 68, he said.

“Stained,” from Los Angeles-based writer/director Joshua Weigel, took seven awards including Best Actress, Jenn Gotzon; Best Editor, Chris Witt; and Best Screenplay, Joshua and Rebekah Weigel.

This year’s theme, “Free the Captives,” asked filmmakers to tell stories that deal with the state of captivity — be it physical, emotional, spiritual or something else, said Paul Luebbers, the film project and festival director.

“The concept behind it is, as Christians, we find that we are in slavery in some form,” he said. “And Jesus is here to free us from that bondage.”

Filmmakers chose to deal with the theme in different ways, he said.

“Traffik,” a drama about a woman who is the victim of human trafficking, was based on a verse from the book of Corinthians: “Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you — although if you can gain your freedom, do so.”

A lighter film, “Dumping Darlene,” told the story of a shy boy trying to break up with his needy girlfriend, where slavery was, figuratively, a relationship.

“We have some funny takes as well as some somber takes,” Luebbers said.

At its core, the 168 Film Festival is about using the process to connect filmmakers to God, said Jim O’Keeffe, a member of the board of directors for the project.

“Our focus as a board is to help filmmakers look at, ‘What does God want for this film?’” he said.

O’Keeffe, who was a director on the 2004 Best Film winner “Max,” describes his own experience as one where the Bible verse selected for his movie took on a deep personal and spiritual significance.

Prayer becomes a crucial part of the process, and filmmakers develop teams that will pray for God’s help on everything from how to best communicate a Bible verse to finding a good shooting location, O’Keeffe said.

“This is not normal filmmaking, and that should be distinguished,” he said.

For more information about the 168 Film Festival and this year’s winners, visit http://www.168project.com /web/100.cfm.