{{one source, date=November 2009 The Imago Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in the state of Illinois, United States. It is usually in April on the Judson University campus. The mission statement indicates: "The Imago Film Festival showcases independent film that deals with faith issues, emphasizing image and story. The festival films capture the full spectrum of human emotion, experience, and spirituality."

History

The Imago Film Festival was developed in 2005 to showcase films made by students at Judson University. Impressed by the reception of the one-night event, professor
Dr. Terrence Wandtke
an
Darren Wilson
expanded the festival to a five-day event in 2006 and invited submissions from outside the school. The festival explores the connections between faith and film. In addition to screening independent short films from around the world, the festival features critics and filmmakers discussing the intersections of art, culture, and religion. The festival is supported by individual donors, corporate sponsors, and the Judson Student Organization. Speakers have included: Jim Wall, senior corresponding editor of '' The Christian Century'' (2006); Phil Vischer, creator of ''

Veggie Tales ''VeggieTales'' is an American Christian media, computer generated musical children's animation, and book franchise created by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki under Big Idea Entertainment. The series sees fruit and vegetable characters retelling ...

'' and Robert K. Johnston, author of ''Reel Spirituality'' (2007); Stephen Vidano, director of ''Star of Bethlehem'' and

David Dark David Dark is an American writer, the author of ''Life's Too Short To Pretend You're Not Religious'', ''The Sacredness of Questioning Everything'', ''Everyday Apocalypse: The Sacred Revealed in Radiohead, The Simpsons, and Other Pop Culture Icons ...

, author of ''The Sacredness of Questioning Everything'' (2008);

David McFadzean David Campbell McFadzean (born April 9, 1947) is an American television producer, television writer, film producer and playwright. He is best known for co-creating the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' with Carmen Finestra and Matt Williams. C ...

, creator of '' Home Improvement'' and William Romanowski, author of ''Eyes Wide Open'' (2009); Darren Wilson, director of ''Furious Love'' and Gaye Williams Ortiz, author of ''Theology and Film'' (2010); David Nixon, producer/director of '' To Write Love on Her Arms'' and

Jeffrey Overstreet Jeffrey Overstreet is a novelist, film critic, and professor who resides in Shoreline, Washington. Biography Overstreet teaches at Seattle Pacific University. His film reviews have been published in ''Paste'', ''Image: A Journal of the Arts an ...

, author of ''Through a Screen Darkly'' (2011);

Brooks Douglass Richard Brooks Douglass (September 28, 1963 – May 9, 2020) was an American film producer and actor, lawyer, businessman, and former state senator in Oklahoma. He died from cancer on May 9, 2020, at age 56. Early life Douglass was born in Norm ...

, writer of ''

Heaven's Rain ''Heaven's Rain'' is a 2010 American biographical drama film based on the true story of the lifelong quest of Brooks Douglass to bring his parents' killers and his sister's rapists to justice. The film is directed by Paul Brown, and was written by ...

'' and Steve Taylor, producer/director of '' Blue Like Jazz'' (2012); Ralph Winter, producer of

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

and X-Men films and Dean Batali, writer for '' That '70s Show'' (2013);

Ron Dean Ron Dean (born August 15, 1938) is an American film and television actor. He appeared in films including ''Rudy'', '' Risky Business'', ''The Breakfast Club'', '' Cocktail'', ''The Babe'', '' The Fugitive'', ''The Client'', and ''The Dark Knight ...

, actor in '' The Fugitive'' and '' The Dark Knight'' and '' Marshall Allman'', actor in '' True Blood'' and '' Blue Like Jazz (2014)''; Doug Jones, actor in ''

Pan's Labyrinth ''Pan's Labyrinth'' ( es, El laberinto del fauno, lit=The Labyrinth of the Faun, links=no) is a 2006 dark fantasy horror film written, directed and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro. A Spanish-Mexican(78% Spanish production, 22% Mexican productio ...

'', '' Hellboy'', and ''

Falling Skies ''Falling Skies'' is an American science fiction television series set in a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic era, created by Robert Rodat and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, executive produced by Steve ...

'' and Will Bakke, director of '' Believe Me'' (2015); Joshua Weigel, director of "

The Butterfly Circus ''The Butterfly Circus'' is a short independent film, created by Joshua and Rebekah Weigel in 2009. Plot Set in the depression-era 1930s America, "The Butterfly Circus" is set in a dismal time period, characterized by the unemployed and homeless ...

" and Matthew Luhn, story artist for '' Toy Story'', ''

Finding Nemo ''Finding Nemo'' is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton with co-direction by Lee Unkrich, the screenplay was writ ...

'', and ''

Monsters, Inc. ''Monsters, Inc.'' (also known as ''Monsters, Incorporated'') is a 2001 American computer-animated Monster movie, monster comedy film produced by Pixar, Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Featuring the voices of John Goodman, B ...

'' (2016); Rich Peluso, senior vice president of

Affirm Films Affirm Films is an American Christian film studio and label of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, which produces, markets, and acquires faith-based films. The studio's highest-grossing faith-based dramas are '' Heaven is for Real'', '' Mir ...

and Eric Groth, producer of ''Full of Grace'' (2017). The Imago Lifetime Achievement Award was inaugurated in the festival's tenth year to recognize filmmakers whose work contributes to the discussion of issues of faith and ethics. The award recipients have included: Martin Sheen (2014),

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...

(2015), Ralph Winter (2016), and

(2017).

Awards

2005 * Best in Show: “The Money Tree”—Ryan Lawrence 2006 * Best of Show: “Anniversary”—Greg Hargis * 1-10 Minutes: “Lift”—Terri Sarris * 11-20 Minutes: “The Kinkade Code”—Matt Bilen * Audience Choice: “Pillowfight”—Scott Rice 2007 * Best of Show: “Jaded”—Anders Lindwall * 1-10 Minutes: “Redemption”—Sharise Holt * 11-20 Minutes: “Crown of the Forest”—Brain Walton * Audience Choice: “Mind’s Eye”—Matt Bilen 2008 * Best in Show: “Holding”—Thomas Bradson * 1-15 Minutes: “Dependence”—Tamara Shaya * 16-30 Minutes: “The Noble Lie”—Mitch Lusas * Audience Choice: “Abigail”—Lauran Holton 2009 * Best in Show: “Gaining Ground”—Marc Brummund * 1-15 Minutes: “Arc of a Bird”—Hugh Sculze * 16-30 Minutes: “The Prodigal Trilogy”—Tad Munnings * Audience Choice: “Somebody’s Baby”—Garrett Marks 2010 * Best in Show: “Jitensha”—Paul Nethercott * 1-15 Minutes: “Prayers for Peace”—Justin Grella * 16-30 Minutes: “A Mysterious Way”—Phil Warner * Audience Choice: “More than Walking”—Jonathan Sigworth 2011 * Best in Show: "Kavi"—Gregg Halvey * 1-15 Minutes: "Afghan"—Pardis Parker * 16-30 Minutes: "Rita"—Antonio Piazza * Audience Choice: "LastRain"—Tony Lopez 2012 * Best in Show: "When Cotton Blossoms"—Scott Magie * 1-15 Minutes: "The Cortege"—Marina Sereseky * 16-30 Minutes: "Mato Oput"—Tim Guthrie * Audience Choice: "The Dance"—Pardis Parker 2013 * Best in Show: "Wednesday's Child"—Rocco Cataldo * 1-15 Minutes: "The Discarded"—David Delicado Adsuar * 16-30 Minutes: "Stalled"—Shannon Kohli * Audience Choice: "Smile"—Matteo Pianezzi and "The Apple of My Eye"—Josecho de Linares 2014 * Best in Show: "Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution"-Matthew VanDyke * Shorter time frame: "Ngutu"-Felipe del Olmo, Daniel Valledor * Longer time frame: "The Uneducated"-Craig Rutherford * Audience Choice: "The Advocate"-Sean Taylor, Kyla Martin 2015 * Best in Show: "Lila"-Carlos Lascano * 1st Runner Up: "Somewhere Between Freedom and Protection, Kansas"-Patrick Clement * 2nd Runner Up: "The Unclean"-Bahram Ark * Audience Choice: "Love at First Sight"-Mark Playne 2016 * Best in Show: "We Can't Live Without Cosmos"-Konstantin Bronzit * 1st Runner Up: "Persimmon"-Dean Yamada * 2nd Runner Up: "Speed Dating"-Meghann Artes * Audience Choice: "Not the End"-Cesar Esteban Alenda & Jose Esteban Alenda 2017 * Best in Show: " My Life I Don't Want"-Nyan Kyal Say * 1st Runner Up: "Red Light"-Toma Waszarow * 2nd Runner Up: "Tiny's New Home"-Justin Hayward * Audience Choice tie: "The Chop"-Lewis Rose * Audience Choice tie: "Darrel"-Marc Briones Piulachs

History

Awards

See also