Movieguide® 16th annual award ceremonies.
John Wycliffe, Persecuted for Christ
A screenplay about a persecuted member of English Bible translator John Wycliffe’s team in the 1300s has been named winner of the 16th Annual Kairos Grand Prize for spiritually uplifting screenwriting, Movieguide® has announced.
“Out of the Flames” was written by Stephanie Hutchinson, who said she was inspired by her brief time studying English literature at Oxford, where she resided in Wycliffe Hall. She also was familiar with Wycliffe Friends, who are Bible translators in the Philippines.
She set out to write a compelling story about what the English translators faced more than 800 years ago during a time of intense persecution.
“A lot of people today – even Christians – don’t read the Bible. ‘It’s boring.’ ‘I don’t understand it.’ ‘I don’t have time,’” she told Movieguide®. “They don’t realize that our forefathers were tortured and killed so we could have it. It is so valuable. I just want people to realize how precious it was and how dangerous it was and how people risked everything to bring it to us.”
“This is the story of John Purvey, who was part of Wycliffe’s team to translate the Bible,” said Movieguide® founder and publisher Dr. Ted Baehr. “It is a powerful story where he is being betrayed by one of the team and he has to stand up in the midst of the persecution because nobody in the Church wanted an English translation of the Bible.
“The Latin translation had been used for years, and actually it had misled the people. So, this was the attempt of Wycliffe to turn England around, to bring revival to England. And this was the pain and suffering and interesting story about a man who worked on that translation team, John Purvey.”
Tracks in the Snow
The First Runner Up is “Tracks in the Snow,” by Sandi Hendrickson Esch. It’s a heart-warming drama about a young widow who falls in love. The First Finalist of the Kairos Prize is “Watchful Dragons” by Robert Williams. It’s about the Christian conversion of famed writer C.S. Lewis, who had been an outspoken atheist but became the most famous Christian apologist of the 20th century and beyond.
As in previous years, the main sponsor for the $15,000 Kairos Prize® is Timothy Partners, distributor for the Timothy Plan family of Biblically Responsible Investing mutual funds and exchange traded funds.
“We are proud to be part of Movieguide®’s efforts to redeem the culture,” Timothy Plan founder and President Art Ally said. “It’s very gratifying to encourage writers who strive to create original, excellent, morally sound scripts. Like anywhere else, even Hollywood is not beyond the reach of God’s redemptive spirit.”
The rest of this year’s Movieguide® Award winners will be announced on the Reelz Channel at a virtual Awards Gala on Easter Sunday, April 17, at 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT), with an encore at 1 a.m. ET April 18 (10 p.m. PT April 17).
The event is normally held in Hollywood at the beginning of each year, bringing the biggest names in the industry to the red carpet to celebrate family values in movies and television shows.
“The program focuses on the most uplifting and encouraging entertainment from the year 2021, proving how the Good, the True and the Beautiful succeed in Hollywood and beyond,” said Dr. Baehr.
Along with the awards, the program will feature exclusive interviews with some top producers and directors.
Categories for Movieguide® Awards include the Best Movies for Families, the Best Movies for Mature Audiences, the Epiphany Prizes® for Most Inspirational Movie and TV Program, the Faith and Freedom Award® for Promoting Positive American Values in Movies and in Television, and the Grace Prizes® for Most Inspiring Performances in Movies and Television.
Here are the nominees:
Best Movies for Families
AMERICAN UNDERDOG
BLUE MIRACLE
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS
PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY
RON’S GONE WRONG
SING 2
Best Movies for Mature Audiences
SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY
BELFAST
BLACK WIDOW (2021)
CYRANO (2021)
DUNE (2021)
GODZILLA VS. KONG
KING RICHARD
A QUIET PLACE PART II
Epiphany Prizes® for Movies
AMERICAN UNDERDOG
BLUE MIRACLE
C.S. LEWIS: THE MOST RELUCTANT CONVERT
CHRISTMAS WITH THE CHOSEN: THE MESSENGERS
THE GIRL WHO BELIEVES IN MIRACLES
KING RICHARD
A QUIET PLACE PART II
Epiphany Prizes® for Television
THE CHOSEN: Episode 2.8: “Beyond Mountains”
GENIUS: ARETHA
THE PILGRIMS
RESURRECTION (2021)
THE WALTONS: HOMECOMING
A WEEK AWAY
Faith & Freedom Award® for Movies
BLACK WIDOW (2021)
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS
THE COURIER (2021)
DEAR COMRADES!
DUNE (2021)
GOD’S NOT DEAD: WE THE PEOPLE
PERCY VS GOLIATH
Faith and Freedom® Award for Television
ATLANTIC CROSSING: Episode 1 and 2: “Angrepet” and “Tronefall”
HAWKEYE: Episode 1.1 and 1.2
THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY: Episodes 1.1 and 1.2
THE PILGRIMS
SUPERMAN AND LOIS: Episode 101: “Pilot”
TURNER AND HOOCH: Episode 1.1: “Furever and a Dog”
THE WALTONS: HOMECOMING
Grace Prize® for Movies
Zachary Levi for AMERICAN UNDERDOG
Dennis Quaid and Jimmy Gonzales for BLUE MIRACLE
Emily Blunt for A QUIET PLACE PART II
Jennifer Hudson for RESPECT
Grace Prize® for Television
Greta Scacchi for RESURRECTION
Bailee Madison for A WEEK AWAY
Cynthia Erivo for GENIUS: Episode 3.1: “Aretha: Respect”
Jonathan Roumie for THE CHOSEN: Episode 2.8: “Beyond Mountains”
Bellamy Young for THE WALTONS: HOMECOMING
A writer for Timothy Partners, Ltd. He is a regular weekly columnist for The Washington Times and Townhall.com and is frequently published by AmericanThinker.com, DailyCaller.com, OneNewsNow.com, and others. He has authored the following books: “A Strong Constitution: What Would America Look Like If We Followed the Law” (D. James Kennedy Ministries, 2018), Invested with Purpose: The Birth of the Biblically-Responsible Investment Movement, and A Nation Worth Fighting For: 10 Steps to Restore Freedom.
