Filmmaking as spiritual practice and ministry

Cross Currents, Spring, 2004 by Macky Alston

Questioning Faith: Confessions of a Seminarian (2001)

Director: Macky Alston

84 minutes

Questioning Faith follows my quest, while completing a graduate degree in theology and working as a hospital chaplain, to understand how people reconcile faith with great suffering. Upon the death of a seminary classmate and close friend, my own faith headed into a tailspin. In Questioning Faith, I follow a handful of people representing a wide range of religious beliefs through their own faith struggles in order to witness how others makes sense of suffering.

The Reincarnation of Kensur Rinpoche (1991)

Directors: Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam

62 minutes

The Reincarnation of Kensur Rinpoche follows the Tibetan servant of a deceased rinpoche of great renown on his quest to determine whether or not a poor four-year-old boy hundreds of miles away is in fact his beloved former master's current incarnation. [Editor's note--Rinpoche: Tibetan, lit. "great jewel" or "great precious one"; honorific applied to reincarnate lamas (spiritual teachers) and other highly respected persons]

Satya: A Prayer for the Enemy (1995)

Director: Ellen Bruno

28 minutes

In a deeply personal and lyrical manner, Satya: A Prayer for the Enemy offers the testimonies of Tibetan nuns who for years have been staging demonstrations for independence against brutal imprisonment. This moving film explores the continued religious oppression and human rights abuses in occupied Tibet and the struggles of women who are spurred by their religious beliefs to life-threatening service on a daily basis. Satya beautifully portrays the resilience with which these modest women face down even the most intimidating foes.

The Smith Family (2002)

Director: Tasha Oldham

55 minutes

The Smith Family is the account of a Mormon family's struggle to stay together after discovering that their father and husband is secretly gay, has had numerous affairs with men, and has developed AIDS. This film demonstrates the power of love and acceptance in the face of the temptation to judge and condemn. It powerfully testifies to the underlying themes of the Mormon faith--compassion, forgiveness and service--while simultaneously representing the complexities involved in claiming allegiance to a religious tradition and questioning many of its tenets. The Smith Family offers an extraordinarily intimate portrait of one family's attempt to wrestle with the complex dynamics of religion and AIDS.

At the end of my film Questioning Faith, as I receive my Masters of Divinity diploma, I declare my intention to answer a call, whether it be bringing people together through film or some more traditional form of ministry--or both. Although I have pursued parish work and esteem that call, I found it impossible to abandon the art and practice of documentary filmmaking. This is my ministry.

Editor's note: Most of the films listed above are to be included in an upcoming film series entitled Faith on Film organized by Auburn Media and New York University's Center for Media and Religion. For more information about these films or other matters regarding non-fiction media about religion, spirituality and ethics, contact Macky Alston at Auburn Media: wma@auburnsem.org.