Mormon films look for Christian audience

SALT LAKE CITY — David Austin's two-day visit to Utah was

packed with meetings, presentations and discussions about finding and producing

Mormon-made films that might appeal to the general Christian inspiration

market. A blizzard hit on the first day, Dec. 8, messing up the tight schedule.

But Austin didn't mind.

\"I'm from Michigan, so it feels like home,\" Austin

said of the weather.

Austin is vice president of sales and marketing at Bridgestone

Multimedia Group and was here at the invitation of filmmakers including Lyman

Dayton and BYU's Dennis Packard. Bridgestone distributes family-friendly

Christian movies and music to Christian bookstores and churches. For 20 years,

Bridgestone has been distributing some of Dayton's classic films from the

1970's including \"Where the Red Fern Grows\" (1974) and \"Against

a Crooked Sky\" (1975).

__IMAGE1__It is the latter film that provided the impetus to bring

Austin to Utah. Dayton is working with BYU to remake \"Against a Crooked

Sky\" and wanted Austin's advice on shaping it for a broader market. Austin

is glad to give advice — and to look for other possible films to distribute.

It can be tricky, however, to present a Mormon-made film to

some groups.

\"We are looking for films that don't have any direct

denominational connections, that won't exclude or cause any group within the

Christian community to be adverse to them,\" Austin said. \"The better

job we can do to make them have ecumenical appeal, the better chance they have

for commercial success and a regional larger audience.\"