Off the Map Presents Jesus Camp
When: Tuesday, December 26 at 7:20
Where: The Fine Arts Theatre
Hosted by the Media Arts Project and the Fine Arts Theatre.
This is not your usual holiday film. You won’t find Santa and his reindeer or Chevy Chase in a tacky sweater. The award winning documentary, Jesus Camp, is about Pastor Becky Fischer's "Kids on Fire" summer camp in Devil's Lake, North Dakota, where kids as young as 6 years old are taught to become dedicated Christian soldiers in "God's army." The film is a first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America's political future...
"Extreme liberals who look at this should be quaking in their boots,” declares Pastor Becky Fischer with satisfaction in the riveting documentary.
A jovial woman who is passionate about her beliefs, Ms. Fischer makes no bones about her expectation that the growing evangelical movement in the United States will one day end the constitutional ban separating church and state.
“Jesus Camp,” is the second film by the documentary team of Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. New York-based filmmakers Ewing and Grady shot the documentary over a year in 2005. The summer camp part of the film was shot during a week in Devils Lake.
"We were looking for a film that would let us explore faith and religion through the eyes of children," said Miss Grady, who is Jewish. The film has received good reviews, and Miss Fischer, a Christian, said she thinks it's a fair if not entirely accurate portrayal of her ministry. But the movie also has exposed her to attacks from both sides. She had to close the camp down after not long after the film was released.
"The one thing that people are really tripping over is the emotion they see in those kids," she said. "It's unbelievable for someone who doesn't know Jesus."
Miss Ewing, who was raised as a Roman Catholic, said the reaction to the film depends on the audience. "Some see it as [salutary] and another group sees it as terrifying," she said. "There is a lot of discussion on all sides, so we think it's a job well done."
Jesus Camp will show one time in a special holiday screening at the Fine Arts Theatre, as part of the Off the MAP series produced by the Media Arts Project. Tickets are $8 to general public and $5.75 for seniors. The MAP brings media arts related events to Asheville monthly, including the prestigious Southern Circuit series. For more information about the MAP, visit www.themap.org.