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RE-RELEASE OF EXPLOSIVE FILM SPOTLIGHTS CHRISTIAN KILLINGS IN TURKEY

Marks Anniversary of Slayings, Deep Cultural Divide in Nation

TULSA, OKLA. –March 15, 2011– Nolan Dean Films/Stuff of Earth Media has just re-released their powerful documentary, Malatya, a feature length film about the brutal killings of three Christians in Turkey in 2007. The film’s long awaited re-issue coincides with the April 18^th anniversary of the tragic event.

To mark the anniversary, Malatya,’s producers are asking churches nationwide to join them in a global day of prayer for Turkey. They also ask pastors to present the film to their congregations as a way to raise awareness of the persecution Christians face today in that Muslim nation.

“There is a powerful need to expose these tragic deaths to the light and bring a healing within Turkey that touches believers and Muslims,” said Nolan Dean, Director of Malatya. “I ask pastors nationwide to mobilize their church for a special day of prayer for Turkey and to show this powerful film to their church body and loved ones. I believe Malatya is an amazing story of forgiveness and forbearance in tragedy and why we all need to unite together in prayer for the healing of the Turkish people.”

The story of Malatya traces the tragic killings of three Turkish believers in 2007 by five Muslim teens—a crime which sent shockwaves throughout Turkey and devastated Turkish Christians nationwide. The film also follows the men’s families in the aftermath of the murders and their decision to show God’s mercy despite the religious persecution they experience.

Since its release in 2009, Malatya has received rave reviews for its gritty portrayal of the tragedy as well as the deep cultural divide that now exists for many in Turkey today.

“Turkey has had to come to grips with the fact that Christians were martyred in the name of Islam,” says Steve Husmann, producer of Malatya. “I think many Muslims have been challenged with that awful truth and how they view their spiritual beliefs in the face of it. The tragedy of these murders has moved well beyond the singularity of one incident and into the consciousness of a nation. That’s where we pray they find healing and discover the truly transforming love of Jesus Christ.”

Malatya is today being re-released with brand new music, a new website, and other production changes. The film can be ordered online at www.Malatyafilm.com with free group licenses for churches available for the cost of a single DVD ($14.99). Producers are also offering packs of 20 DVDs for $100 to sell after the showing or as special gifts to attendees.

For more information about Malatya, please visit www.Malatyafilm.com. For information about the Global Day of Prayer for Turkey, visit www.prayforturkey.com.

As We Forgive is available on DVD at most Christian bookstores and at www.familychristianmovies.com. The fifty three minute documentary follows two women from Rwanda, Rosaria and Chantal, as they face their toughest test of forgiveness. During the 1994 Genocide their families were murdered, now can they forgive the men that tore their lives apart? Find out what happens when the murderers and the survivors meet and even what you can do to help those so far away. You can find out more about the film and the help efforts by visiting www.asweforgivemovie.com.

As We Forgive is an outstanding testimony to forgiveness and reconciliation. The courts were overwhelmed with 120,000 imprisoned suspects so the Supreme Court of Rwanda implemented the Gacaca Courts Department. The Gacaca was traditionally an informal village court system for handling village disputes. Now these courts would try to handle the complicated task of trials and sentencing for the suspects of the 1994 Genocide. One way the courts tried to reconcile their villages was to have the accused meet and apologize to the survivors. The challenging part was that most of the survivors knew and in some cases had even been friends with the men that killed their family members. Not only were lives taken, but houses were burnt to the ground and fields were set ablaze. With 90% of Rwandans being farmers, their fields are how they make a living. In some of the courts they tried to mend relationships by the accused murderers building new homes for survivors.

Producer, Laura Waters Hinson and her husband hope that this film will bring awareness to the current need in Rwanda. They have founded The Living Bricks Campaign in conjunction with the film to allow viewers the chance to help the victims rebuild their country. For more information about The Living Bricks Campaign please visit www.livingbrickscampaign.org.

Another way viewers can get involved is by supporting the As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative (AWFRI). This is a Rwandan-led movement to help communities work together to rebuild their country. Over 15 years later there is still a lot of work to be done, for example the Genocide left over a million orphans and widows. To find out how you can make a difference right from your community visit www.asweforgive.org.
As We Forgive is an extremely touching film. What can turn friend against friend and make someone kill their neighbor? This documentary shows the devastation that occurred in Rwanda not so long ago. But most of all it shows how with God’s help these people are regaining their hope. Please prayerfully consider helping our brothers and sisters in Rwanda.

Watch the trailer for As We Forgive here

“Lost Boy: The Next Chapter” has been Awarded the Redemptive Storyteller Award!

Lost Boy: The Next Chapter is a DVD that gives narrative to the challenging, unpredictable life story of Harvest Christian Fellowship’s senior Pastor, Greg Laurie.

The Redemptive Storyteller Award was given because Pastor Greg Laurie’s life story has the ability to resonate with people from all walks of life. God has taken him through so many different journeys, he can truly empathize. Beginning with not having a father and living his life with an alcoholic mother, to finding Christ and living to serve Him, and then through losing his son unexpectedly in 2008- Greg Laurie has seen God through it all, and gives example to the hope that others can also find in God and the love of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Greg Laurie’s ministry and partnerships are other aspects of his qualifications for winning this award. Pastor Greg Laurie has also founded The Harvest Crusades, which are evangelistic conferences throughout the United States and parts of the world. These Crusades have reached over 4 million people since 1990, and are currently reaching thousands more. Recently Pastor Greg Laurie spoke at the Harvest Crusade in Chicago, where 4,758 people came forward and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Next he will be in Seattle early November, and will continue to work through these crusades as wells as working through sitting on the board for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse to reach the lost.

All this being said, it is no surprise that “Lost Boy: The Next Chapter”, has also won:

• Best American Documentary 2009
• Audience Favorite Best Documentary Award 2009
• Best Documentary Award 2009
  

Purchase and/or view a trailer of “Lost Boy” here. Share the life story of Pastor Greg Laurie to help others see God and His purpose in their lives.

Based off of true events and the book, Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy, the DVD Amish Grace gives an account to the terrible, tragic event when a man not a part of the Amish community, goes to an Amish school house, shoots 10 and kills 5 Amish school girls.

As I watched Amish Grace (release date is September 14, 2010), I found myself crying quite uncontrollably, but for more reasons than the fact that these innocent children lost their lives so heartlessly. It was the response of the Amish community that really grabbed hold of my heart and touched me and changed my perspective on what it means to forgive.

Some of the events and the characters of Amish Grace were fictional, but it was obvious that the characters in the DVD were not far off from the people they were representing. You learn that the Amish community wants nothing in the way of their relationship with God and their ability to be like Christ. This is why very soon after the man came and killed their children and himself, the people of the Amish community reached out to the man’s wife and offers her not only forgiveness, but offers her their support and their help in any way that she and her children needed. They recognized that yes, they had just gone through a hard, terrible loss, but she had too!

Although the attitude of the Amish community was forgiveness, not every one of them could achieve it. Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley portrays a mother who lost her eldest daughter to the school house killings and unlike her husband, she could not extend the same grace and forgiveness. She was consumed by the hurt, which transformed into anger that she could not let go of. Her character, Ida Graber, may have been fictional, but was a character that we could all relate to.

As mentioned in the DVD, Christ justifiably deals with punishment, and it spoils our hearts to hold anger against others who may have wronged us. As you watch Amish Grace, prepare your heart to witness a undeserved tragedy, but also prepare your heart to see what it means to forgive and let go of the hurt and anger, no matter the offense.

After viewing Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls, I was thrilled to find out that The Science Museum of Minnesota was hosting The Dead Sea Scroll exhibit! My husband and I could not pass up the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the scrolls-scrolls that are the oldest copy of the Bible that date back to the time of Jesus! This was the perfect thing to follow-up what I had learned from the Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls DVD!!

The tour of the exhibit began with a short explanation of when these scrolls were found as well as a bit of what was going on at the time that they were discovered. It then proceeded with a hand held audio tour guide that explained the history of the Sadduces, Pharisees and the Essenes who were once in disagreement about how the Jewish laws should be kept. The tour proceeds to show the importance of this- that one group wrote things down while the other group verbally passed down these beliefs. Some were written in Hebrew, some in Aramaic and others in Greek. In the Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls DVD, Dr. Frank Seekins teaches words of the ancient Hebrew language, and shows how it is a language that used both pictures and letters and that one “word” can have so much meaning!

The tour really built up your understanding of what you were about to see (the actual Scrolls were the last part of the tour). They first laid the foundation of why these scrolls were written. Then they showed you the lives of the people at that time and showed artifacts that were 2,000 years old! And once you saw the familiar objects such as bowls, plates and cups, you realize that these people are no different than we are today and that the words written on the Scrolls 2,000 years ago are just as important now as they were then!

And although I felt that the tour gave a good introduction to the remarkable discovery and the value of the Dead Sea Scrolls, I was happy to have watched Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls beforehand. There was a lot of reading and a lot to take in during the tour that is also described in Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls with a little more history which helped me see a glimpse more of how big God really is!

We recently learned of a Pastor, Edward J Vasicek in Indiana, who’d used The History of Christianity DVD/PDF curriculum in his Sunday night meetings.  I thought his review was insightful.

This series flies through the centuries hitting highlights of great events and personages in church history. Although it is probably slanted more toward evangelicals than other groups, it seeks to accommodate other branches of Christianity and treats all groups with respect.

Most Christians are completely clueless when it comes to church history. Although this is a greatly simplified survey (covering 2,000 years in 3 hours), the average layman can understand and enjoy such a presentation without it seeming long or boring.

We used the series on Sunday nights, and I would sub-divide each 30 minute subject into two and, after 15 minutes of viewing, I would use the workbook material for another 15 to 25 minutes of discussion and additional information. I believe that the workbook material/teacher’s guide now comes as a PDF file (I had the older video tape version).

This series could be expanded greatly if the leader has some background in church history and students were eager to learn, or it could be viewed straight through without comment (or you could use my more modest approach). Either way, I highly recommend it for individuals, home study groups, Sunday School classes, or evening service presentations.

We’ve interviewed Ed about the series and you’ll be able to read it tomorrow.  You can learn more about pastor Vasicek’s church and read some of his articles at http://www.highlandpc.com/

by Philip Pfanstiel

The Dilemma referred to in this compelling movie’s title is that of the Cambrian Explosion. This movie does an excellent job of presenting this momentous geological event in the earth’s history that seriously undermines current Evolutionary thinking. And unlike that last sentence, it does it in a way that is easily understandable.

Darwin’s Dilemma is by Illustra Media, the same company that created Privileged Planet and Unlocking the Mystery of Life, and is just as well done with cutting edge graphics, interesting yet understandable content and great ammunition for the friendly discussions with the evolutionists next door.

The film does present the average Christian with a dilemma: how far down the rabbit hole of the creation / evolution debate does one want to delve?

For a quick guide to the theories one might want to check the video On a Level Playing Field (full disclosure: this is the DVD I produced) since this DVD is designed for 7-10 grade students it is a great introduction to the debate on a level most people can appreciate.

Darwin’s Dilemma is a DVD that supports and promotes the Theory of Intelligent Design (ID). While Intelligent Design can be used to support Young Earth Creationism (the theory that most Christians are most comfortable with since it takes the Genesis account literally), it is actually more supportive of an Old Earth Creation viewpoint. This is the dilemma: do you want to remain comfortable in what you “know” is right, or would you feel comfortable questioning and possibly changing your current view?

This is no small question, but not one you have to answer now. Watch the DVD. It is very engaging and informative and does provide great ammunition to use against die hard evolutionists. But as with any firefight while its exciting and dynamic, no one leaves it unchanged.

by Philip Pfanstiel

I didn’t want to watch this movie. Knowing that “The Heart of Texas” is about tragedy and forgiveness and that it involves the death of a young child; these were all things that kept me from watching the movie. It hits too close to home. With five young children, thoughts of losing any of them to tragedy is a thought I want to avoid.

Surprisingly, when I did watch the DVD it was one of the most heartwarming, redemptive and thoughtful films I’ve seen in years. I would highly recommend it.

The premise of “The Heart of Texas” is simple; a young child is killed in a tragic accident and the film follows how the family and community responds. What is not so simple is how the family, especially the father responds.

The recommendation of Jesus to go the extra mile does not even begin to describe how the father reacts to this tragedy. I would go into more detail but the video does an extremely powerful and poignant job, so I won’t mar it.

However; I do think the practical examination of forgiveness and how forgiveness looks in real life was very powerful. I’ve shared with my students the basic premise of the movie and they are amazed that the father didn’t just “get even.”

I explained that no one ever gets even. You hurt me, I hurt you, you hurt me back … and the gift goes on and on. The teeter totter of hurt will only stop when one person decides to stop pushing back. As Gandhi wrote “an eye for an eye and the world will go blind.”

No one wins in the cycle of hurt and retribution that is glamorized by movies, TV and video games. While revenge satisfies a primal need, it in the end leaves everyone worse off. There is a power in forgiveness that the mainstream media doesn’t understand, but this film reveals beautifully.

As a recent immigrant to the Empire of Texas, I’ve often heard that things are always bigger in Texas, this film definitely proves that there is an immensity to “The Heart of Texas.”

Dana Chaffin has recently written an article on FaithWriters.net about the documentary DVD Malatya.

Below are a few quotes from her article that highlight the event that occured.

This is a true story of persecution and perseverance. Three Christian men were brutally tortured and murdered, in Malatya Turkey, for their faith in Jesus Christ…Their families and fellow Christians have also suffered due to the loss of these wonderful men. The strength and faith they show is inspirational.

The life and death of these men is a real life story that can teach us all about the current needs that still exist for the work of the Lord.

To learn from their story, you can read Dana’s Entire article at FaithWriters.net.

You can also buy the DVD documentary Malatya at familychristianmovies.com.

I was inspired this morning by our documentary Apostle Paul and the Earliest Churches. This is one of our core products; as it is the film that got our founder involved in Christian movies back in 2004. He co-produced this film about the roots of Christianity in Asia Minor/Anatolia/Modern-Day Turkey ( all titles refer to the same land mass in the North-East Mediterranean.) The film was made by Turkish Christians to introduce westerners to the biblical sites throughout Turkey, and to inform locals of the region’s Christian past.

The DVD takes you throughout Turkey using dramatized travelers following Paul’s footsteps, footage of archaeological ruins, 3-D maps, historical details, biblical accounts. All of these are combined in a narrative that makes history come alive.

This film is a great illustration of the troubles Paul went through to bring the gospel to the gentile (non-Jewish) world. I was especially moved by the account of Paul at the port of Miletus when he speaks with the elders from the church in Ephesus. He talks through how he’s lived his life and makes clear his willingness to lay down his life for the God he loves You can read the whole account in Acts 20:17-38. Here are some highlights.

“You know how I lived among you , serving the Lord with all humility and tears and trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ…” He goes on to describe the reality that he may lose his life in Jerusalem, and then says… “but I do not account my life of any value or as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the Grace of God…”

As I heard those verses in the film, I was reminded of and renewed in my own desire to be used by the Lord to share the good news of Christ with those who don’t yet know him and to live a life that is constantly given over to the Lord and laid at his feet to do with as he pleases.

The DVD also comes with a printable Bible Study that can be used to follow Paul through the bible used in concert with the DVD.

I recommend Apostle Paul and the Earliest Churches to anyone studying Acts or the life of Paul, to people interested in archeology, or to Christians people planning a trip to Turkey. My parents and Aunt are planning a trip to Turkey this spring, and I’ll definately be recommending that they watch this DVD before coming.