Forty-nine semi-finalists announced for $50,000 Kairos Prize Contest script competition
Oren Aviv of Disney will present the 2009 winners on February 11 at gala event

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

HOLLYWOOD, CA (ANS) -- Forty-nine semi-finalists have been announced for the 4th Annual $50,000 Kairos Prizes for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays by Beginning Screenwriters, sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation and MOVIEGUIDE®: A Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment.

Oren Aviv

Oren Aviv, President of Production for Walt Disney Pictures, will announce the top three winners at the 17th Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The 49 semi-finalists are:

A GOOD BOY, by Safia Dirie; Los Angeles, CA
A MATTER OF TIME, by Christina D. Denton; Martinsville, VA
ABILENE, by Michael Raymond; Seattle, WA
AMEN, ANNA, by Marius Penczner; Potomac, MD
AMERICAN CYCLONE, by Aiken Scherberger; Hillsdale, Ontario, Canada
ANEW, by Nathan Davis; Burbank, CA
ANGEL ON THE WALL, by Lynn Esta Goldman; San Francisco, CA
BRANIGAN BROTHERS, by Robin Liner; Weaverville, NC
CROSS OF THE SAVAGE, by Joe Crouch; Los Angeles, CA
DAMASCUS ROAD, by R. Keith Harris; Greensboro, NC
DIVINING ROD, by Steve Ellis; Humble, TX
DOROTHY'S DOLL, by Roger Wahman; Redondo Beach, CA
EVERY MOUNTAIN MADE LOW, by Penny Loeb; Lincoln, VA
FINAL FALL, by Guy Brookshire & Charlie Hinojosa; Folsom, CA
FINDING GRACE, by John Clark & Valvria Clark; Raleigh, NC
40 DAYS ROAD, by Douglas Fahleson; Lincoln, NE
FRUIT OF THE TREE, by Aaron Greer & Fran Kaplan; Milwaukee, WI
GIDEON, by Randall Hahn; Miami, FL
GIVE MY LOVE TO THE CHESTNUT TREES, by Beverly Varnado; Athens, GA
GUS, by J. Robb Kelley; Colorado Springs, CO
HEARTS OF WAX, by Leslie Ruth Damude; London, Ont., Canada
ISABELLA, by Caren Boddie; Littleton, CO
KEEP MY LOVE HERE, by Bernard Elliot Grysen & Dan Slider; Spring Lake, MI
MARTHA BERRY, by Harry Musselwhite; Rome, GA
MASKQUERADE, by Tommy Wood; Lawrenceville, GA
MILAGRO CAFÉ, by Robin L. Patrick; Wausau, WI
MOODY FIELD, by Darcy Faylor; Greenville, SC
OPAL VALLEY PEARL, by Justin Eade; Auckland, New Zealand
ORDINARY WORLD, by Bob Kuns & Charlie Matz; Aliso Viejo, CA
ORPHANS OF THE STORM, by Gary Burlingame; Bellevue, WA
OSBORN LITTLE'S - BEGIN AGAIN, by Marshall T. Parsons; Linwood, NC
PINEWOOD DERBY, by Paul Marashlian; Hermosa Beach, CA
POPSICLE DAYS AND FIREFLY NIGHTS, by F. Michael Blair; Hingham, MA
SANGAMON COUNTY, by Ruth Ellen Johnson; Huntington Beach, CA
SENOR SCROOGE, by Maria V. Cardenas; Chicago, IL
STEAL AWAY FAIRFAX, by Mark William Galvin; Windsor, Ont., Canada
THE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION, by Brent Smith & Henderson Smith; Las Vegas, NV
THE CONDEMNED, by Debra Sharkey; Calabasas, CA
THE FINGER OF GOD, by Jeffrey Malphurs; New Smyrna Beach, FL
THE MESSAGE, by Sharon A. Baker; Colorado Springs, CO
THE THINGS THAT FOLLOW AFTER, by Shelia Watson; Charleston, SC
THERE MIGHT BE ANGELS, by Anna Ray-Jones; New York, NY
THROUGH THE VALLEY OF DEATH, by Brian Wright; Encinitas, CA
TO GOD BE THE GLORY, by Nigel Grant; Coral Gables, FL
TOUCHED, by Rusty Whitener; Pulaski, VA
UNCLE EDWIN'S VIKING SHIP, by Christopher P. Nicholson; Sterling, VA
WHOSE YOU ARE, by Melissa Marie Sneed; Kingsport, TN
WILD MONTANA SKY, by Debra Holland; Fullerton, CA
WITHOUT A PRAYER, by Stephen M. Pullen; Norfolk, VA

Kairos Prize logo

In addition to the $50,000 in prize money, the largest of its kind in the United States, the top three winners will have their scripts read by top studio executives, including executives at The Walt Disney Company, Sony, Warner Bros., and 20th Century Fox. Writers in Hollywood can work for years without such an opportunity.

The John Templeton Foundation also sponsors the $200,000 Epiphany Prize winners for inspiring movies and television programs, which will also be announced at the Awards Gala on Feb. 11.

"The Kairos Prizes continue to grow by leaps and bounds," Dr. Ted Baehr, Founder and Publisher of MOVIEGUIDE® and Chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission®, said. "We are greatly honored to have so many of the major players in the film and television industries taking notice. It really is a testament to the tremendous quality of fresh scripts and talent that is out there waiting to be discovered."

Initiated in 2005, the $50,000 Kairos Prizes seek to further the influence of moral and spiritual values with the film and television industries by inspiring first-time and beginning screenwriters to produce compelling, entertaining, spiritually uplifting scripts that result in a greater increase in either man's love or understanding of God. To that end, many of the winners have been optioned or have been signed by major agencies.

Sir John Templeton has long believed that the media - and specifically the entertainment media - plays a role in how individuals form their ideas about faith and values.

More information about the contest is available online at www.kairosprize.com. Finalists will be announced at the beginning of February for the Awards Gala on Feb. 11. A comprehensive understanding of the type of scripts the Kairos Prize will be awarding can be found in Dr. Ted Baehr's book, So You Want to Be in Pictures?, available online at www.movieguide.org.

The John Templeton Foundation (www.templeton.org) serves as a philanthropic catalyst for research relating to what scientists and philosophers call the Big Questions. It supports work at the world's top universities in such fields as theoretical physics, cosmology, evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and social science relating to love, forgiveness, creativity, purpose, and the nature and origin of religious belief. It also encourages informed, open-minded dialogue between scientists and theologians as they apply themselves to the most profound issues in their particular disciplines. Finally, it seeks to stimulate new thinking about wealth creation in the developing world, character education in schools and universities, and programs for cultivating the talents of gifted children.

MOVIEGUIDE® is a publication of Good News Communications, Inc. and the Christian Film & Television Commission® ministry. It is an international non-profit organization dedicated to "redeeming the values of the entertainment industry by influencing industry executives and by informing and equipping the public about the influence of the entertainment media."

For more information about MOVIEGUIDE®, please call 1-800-899-6684.

Dan Wooding, 68, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma of 45 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS); and US Bureau Chief for the Missionaries News Service (www.missionariesnews.tv) and Safe Worlds IPTV's Faith, Hope and Charity channel. He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC., and now hosts the weekly "Front Page Radio" show on KWVE in Southern California and which is also carried on the Calvary Radio Network throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on UCB UK and Calvary Chapel Radio UK. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloid totruth.com. E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com.