By Casting Churches as Movie Theaters, Santorum Hopes to Engage the Culture
Kelsey Bolar /
Don’t look for Rick Santorum to go Hollywood.
Sure, a little over a year ago, the former Pennsylvania senator and 2012 Republican presidential candidate took on the role of CEO of EchoLight Studios, which describes itself as a producer and distributor of “high-quality movies for families of faith.” His first project for EchoLight, the feature-length documentary “One Generation Away: The Erosion of Religious Liberty,” is slated to premiere Sept. 1.
But there’s a catch: Instead of selling tickets at the box office, Santorum’s strategy is to turn churches into movie theaters for offerings such as “Seasons of Gray,” a re-imagining of the biblical tale of Joseph, and the western “The Redemption of Henry Myers.”
“The church can change the country,” Santorum said at a sneak preview of “One Generation Away” July 28 at The Heritage Foundation:
We want this company to be a tool to get people into the church and make the church the center of culture again.
The distribution process is a less expensive alternative to the Hollywood system, with churches encouraged to host screenings and sell tickets for five dollars apiece.
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Other faith-based production companies, Sherwood Pictures (“Courageous,” “Fireproof”) and Cloud Ten Pictures (“Left Behind,” “Apocalypse”) among them, have made similar attempts to engage pop culture. But unlike EchoLight’s plan to sell tickets to individual customers, most rely on church organizers to purchase public licensing packages to show their movies.
“The goal is to have a few thousand churches screen our films,” Santorum said.
Although most of EchoLight’s productions will be features that are fictional or based on true stories, Santorum, a Catholic, said he chose to make his initial project a documentary for the format’s powerful ability to communicate what he calls “the erosion of religious liberty in America.”
The main title “One Generation Away” refers to Ronald Reagan’s famous 1961 quote: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
And the message is clear: Religious freedom in America is under attack. By highlighting seven real-life cases across the country, Santorum said, he hopes to “wake up the churches.”
From the Supreme Court’s recent decision in the Hobby Lobby case to actions against providers of wedding services in Oregon and Washington, some 60 experts and commentators weigh in during the film.
Among those representing the left are the Rev. Barry Lynn, head of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and minister-turned-atheist Dan Barker of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Those featured on the right, in addition to Santorum, include former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Steve and David Green of the family-owned Hobby Lobby retail chain.
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In an interview with The Daily Signal, Santorum said the documentary might have been stronger if it had given more of a voice to the other side.
“The reason they’re in as much as they are is because I specifically asked that they were,” he said.
After seeing audience reaction to the liberal commentators included, he added, “It might have been better to have them out there saying why America without religion is a good thing.”
In 2015, EchoLight Studios plans to debut three more films, one based on the story of Illinois high school basketball player Eric “Hoovey” Elliott, who was stricken with a brain tumor.
“It’s a great story of personal triumph, overcoming a lot, and the role faith played in that,” Santorum said.
Ultimately, he hopes EchoLight will help transform the church into a more “culturally relevant” place where Americans not only go on Sundays to worship, but also to see first-run, quality films that help them stand up against the “cultural influences that are hitting them every day.”
“It’s important for us to fight back,” he said.
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