22-year-old wins award for film on saving babies

While the world tuned in to see which Hollywood films merit a golden statuette for excellence in everything from acting to make-up, a much smaller group attending the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival honored films that go beyond entertainment and truly make a difference in the world.

This recent gathering of independent Christian filmmakers gave testament to God’s work through His people, making a big impact, no matter the size of the budget.

Absent the pageantry, glitz and massive budget of their Hollywood peers, these Christian filmmakers are moved to produce motion pictures that give voice to the heart.

It was no surprise to many then that the 2013 Grand Prize winner for the “Best of Festival” film went to the documentary “The Drop Box,” directed by 22-year old Brian Ivie.

This moving film tells the story about a Korean Pastor named Lee Jong-rak who built a hatch on his house to collect unwanted and oftentimes disabled babies.

Ivie heard about Pastor Jong-rak’s efforts through a Los Angeles Times article and was determined to document the pastor’s story in the hopes of bringing him support and giving a “voice to the voiceless.”

The producer of “Fireproof” and “Courageous,” Stephen Kendrick, who was also a judge for the festival, compared Ivie to the Old Testament hero and man of action Nehemiah, who heard about the crumbling walls in his beloved Jerusalem and did something about it.

“Many times, we are moved with compassion and do nothing,” Kendrick noted.

He then relayed how young Ivie heard about one man’s effort to love and rescue the unloved and unwanted and decided, “I am going to run to the battle.”

Ivie embarked with his team on a journey to chronicle the dedication of this Korean pastor, who since installing this “drop box” on his home to give people a place to leave their babies instead of on the street, has taken in over 30 children.

Little did Ivie know his journey over this past year also led him to a saving faith in Jesus, while documenting a living example of pure religion as defined by James, the brother of Jesus, who 2,000 years ago wrote in James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Ivie accepted the award, along with a check for $101,000 by demonstrating humility.

“I deified movies for 21 years of my life, and I made them my god, and it failed me,” he said. “I’m done with that story. I’m done with that idol. And I promise in the fear of God that I will steward this investment, because I would rather tell the plainest truth with $100,000 than the most sophisticated technological lie with 10 million dollars or 100 hundred million dollars.”

“The Drop Box” was also recognized earlier in the awards ceremony for the “Best Sanctity of Life” award.

His acceptance speech for the two distinguished honors prompted some to point out that such a God-honoring homage would never be uttered by a Hollywood elite while accepting a coveted Oscar.

Vision Forum Ministries, which says it aims to build a “holy alternative to Hollywood”, wrote in a press release, “If you were waiting on Sunday to hear one of Hollywood’s elite utter words like these while receiving the coveted Oscar, you waited in vain.

“But if you were one of the approximately 25,000 people who watched the Jubilee Awards in person or on live-streaming and saw 22-year-old Brian Ivie receive $101,000 for his profound homage to the power of the Gospel in reaching out to lost and unwanted children, then you watched history in the making,” the release continued. “You saw with your eyes the blessing of God on a rag-tag movement of independent Christian filmmakers who are working outside the Hollywood machine and changing the world.”

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http://www.wnd.com/2013/03/22-year-old-w...-saving-babies/

Great story !!

God Bless these individuals for helping the children and telling the story ........THEY ARE THE TRUE *** STARS **** !!