From producer of ‘The Passion’, ‘Snowmen’ a moral tale for a younger generation

By Kathleen Gilbert

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 22, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The producers of such groundbreaking films as The Passion of the Christ and The Stoning of Soraya M. are unveiling in theatres another tale with a deeply moral message, and this time, for kids, this weekend only.

“Snowmen,” a movie by Mpower Pictures, will show on Oct 22, 23, and 24 in 20 cities across America, including Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Houston, Memphis, TN, and Alexandria, VA. The film will be released on DVD in Wal-Marts on November 29. Mpower was co-founded by CEO Steve McEveety, the producer of the Passion of the Christ, Braveheart, and We Were Soldiers.
Jason Jones of the grassroots marketing campaign Movie to Movement told LifeSiteNews.com that the new feature film – the winner of several awards including best feature at the Dallas Film Festival, Toronto Sprockets International Film Festival, and Tribeca Film Festival – is unique for delivering a high-quality moral message to a young audience.

“There have been a lot of great films for young adults and adults,” such as the pro-life film Bella, and Passion of the Christ, Jones said. “But really, Can you think of any film of that caliber for young people? Snowmen is it,” said Jones. “I think it’s the best kids film ever made.”

Snowmen, featuring Christopher Lloyd, tells a tale of fame and friendship in the story of three boys on a quest to make a name for themselves – and a record number of snowmen – who wind up instead discovering what really matters in life.

Jones said that Movie to Movement, which was created following the successful marketing campaign for Bella, draws upon the support of values-based individuals to help spread truly pro-family films. “We built this huge grassroots initiative for Bella. Let’s use this to promote other films that promote a culture of life, love and beauty.”

John Shepherd, president of the Los Angeles-based Mpower Pictures, also said his pro-family films would need the help of grassroots supporters to send a message to Hollywood.

“We need our core base, people who share our values … to support the kind of films that we’re doing, and we want to send a message … that there’s a huge sleeping giant of an audience out there that wants better quality, wholesome entertainment they can enjoy,” Shepherd told LSN.

Jones is hoping to send that message to Hollywood in a concrete way: a petition hosted on Movie to Movement’s website aims to send a positive message challenging the movie industry to take a closer look at the power behind values-based films.

While G-rated movies make more money than PG ones, and PG more than PG-13, and R the least of all, Jones said, Hollywood movies are produced in the exact opposite frequency – something that makes “no sense.”

“But that’s Hollywood,” he said.

Yet in an ever-distracted world, according to Jones, the silver screen’s power to send a message can’t be ignored. He pointed out how the future Pope John Paul II himself, an avid actor, thwarted the Nazis’ attempts at squelching Catholic and Polish culture by secretly producing plays.

“Think about it: you go to a movie, you sit in a black room, your phone’s off, you’re not on Facebook, you’re not on Twitter, you’re staring up at the light – like you’re in Plato’s cave, chained,” he said. “We’re distracted. The only place where you’re sitting there and looking with no distraction is the movies. And it’s beautiful. …

“We want to promote a culture of life, love and beauty, and what better way than through film.”