San Francisco, Calif., Jan 30, 2008 / 06:30 am
Inspired by major artistic events held at Cannes and Sundance, pro-lifers are organizing the first ever pro-life film festival, Ignatius Insight reports.
The Cinema Vita Film Festival will be held on March 7 in San Francisco. Sponsored by Ignatius Press, Marriage for Life, the San Francisco Archdiocesan Office for Public Policy and the Oakland Diocesan Respect Life Ministry, the festival will encourage emerging filmmakers and showcase movies about the meaning and value of life.
Eva Muntean, a member of the festival’s organizing council and an employee of Ignatius Press, described the goals of the festival: "All forms of media should be used to spread the Gospel and give glory to God," she remarks. "Cinema is no different and the production of family values, pro-life movies is desperately needed to reach the masses in our modern age."
Muntean hoped the festival would improve the quality of pro-life cinema, saying, "Why is it today that films that reflect a positive view of the family and of life are not normally well made or professional? That needs to change. Cinema Vita is a necessary step in bringing about that change."