BYU film panel calls for more movies with high morals

PROVO — How much swearing is acceptable in a family oriented movie?

Is it OK to show a character with a drinking problem?

What about implied infidelity?

The cleaner the better, a Christian video distributor said during a recent panel discussion at BYU about morality in movies.

"What our consumers are looking for are family-friendly films that mom can buy and her whole family can watch with her," said David Austin, vice president of sales and marketing for Bridgestone Multimedia Group, a company that sells family-friendly Christian films to Christian bookstores.

Austin's company frequently relies on the ratings by www.dove.org but often has to be stricter, based on consumer concerns over minor swearing, violence between children and poor lifestyle choices depicted in the movies, he said.

The panel, which included two other evangelical leaders, three BYU professors and an LDS filmmaker, was a way to start a conversation about Christian values in films and how to encourage them.

"We're working on the same kind of a thing," said moderator and BYU philosophy professor Dennis Packard. "(We're) trying to use these artistic forms to express the truth and help us become closer to Christ."

But it's not as simple as just saying, take out the bad, leave in the good.

"With regards to the standards, a Christian audience is by no means a homogenous group," said Travis Anderson, a painter and BYU professor who teaches philosophy of art and film.

As the former director of BYU's International Cinema, Anderson said he was amazed at what some people found offensive, despite their careful screening.

Then, there was the paradox of international films that had finally received ratings years after they'd been shown at BYU without any problems, but because of the new R label, were now excluded.

Dean Jackson, pastor of the Rock Canyon Church, said some of his colleagues refuse to see movies with an R rating, while others base their decision on the film's content.

There's also the question of how potent the religious content should be.

If it's too overtly religious, many people are turned off, Austin said. Yet, dancing around the issue of faith is also a problem.

"Give us characters we can relate to," Austin said he tells producers. "Don't be afraid to show them acting out the faith in their lives. People will respond if it's a well-made film."

There is a need for such films, the panel members said, as Hollywood doesn't help much.

"It's totally out of balance," said LDS filmmaker Lyman Dayton. "When is the last time you saw a mainstream movie where Christian behavior was a normal … thing?"