And Suddenly… There was a Film Festival

by Richard Gazowsky

When I first got the revelation that God does things suddenly, it was fresh, wild, and exciting. But as you mature in the Lord the stakes get much higher. Now, I’m facing a “suddenly” that could put my whole operation out on a limb. The real truth that I’m facing is that putting God in total control is all about me losing control.

Ten years ago our company, Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks, submitted our first feature film “Guardians” to the Sundance Film Festival. At the same time it was entered, Anne Lanza, our vice-president’s wife, felt a word from the Lord that we should start our own festival. At this time in our career we were just learning the skill of asking God about everything. I asked our staff if we should start our own Christian Film Festival. I said, “If this truly is a word from God, He will confirm it by giving us the same message from out of the blue.” One hour later I received a call from one of our actors, Kenny Flanagan who asked me, “Richard, does God ever speak to sinners like me?” I replied, “Sure! He uses anybody. In the Bible He even spoke through a donkey.” Kenny started laughing. He said, “Well, I guess God could use me then. I was driving my car through Sausalito. I heard a voice telling me ‘Call Richard. Tell him to do his own festival for Christian films.”

WOW! What a confirmation Kenny’s call was. We now knew that we were destined to do this. For the last eight years we have produced a very successful festival that has operated in a pattern similar to festivals worldwide. This year, everything suddenly changed.

God spoke to us, “Don’t plan anything for the film festival this year. I will surprise you with my new plan.” Anyone that is familiar with planning events that involve people traveling from around the world, showing expensive films covered in layers of copyrights, knows that this kind of event requires a huge lead time. And here God was not only surprising us, but taking away the one element that could give us an advantage–lead time. As the months of 2008 ticked away, the more desperate our situation became. We didn’t have our annual fund raising banquet. We didn’t secure the big films. We didn’t invite the big crowd-drawing names. We didn’t collect the big award money. We didn’t even announce the festival to anyone. Worst of all, God wouldn’t even allow us to update our website, though we asked Him numerous times. The only inkling we had was hearing the dates of the festival from God: November 5th-8th.
As you can imagine we were soon inundated with filmmakers that were questioning, “Are you going to have a festival? Are you guys still there? When’s the submission date? How do I get my film to you in time?” The calls and e-mails just kept coming and coming until my personal e-mail box was packed to the last gigabyte. At one point, Bob Gurich, who represents the largest DVD distributor in North America, said, “Richard, you gotta get this festival going. You guys are important movers & shakers in the industry.” I could only look at Bob and shake my head and say, “I’m waiting on God.” To my amazement Bob fully understood and lightened up on the pressure, (all of you would be amazed at how many people are waiting on the Lord for something, and understand this divine principle).

During this time of waiting our own company, Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks, had an incredible breakthrough. We received the green light from a group of Asian investors for investment on our two-hundred-million dollar picture. Trust me, waiting on God is always worth it. God’s ways are so high above our ways that they are literally incomprehensible, at least by my small mind.
One month away from our film festival God gave me a dream. In my dream I took two pots and set them on a table in front of the investors. I told them that they were to fill the pots and send me back to San Francisco to make our film. They all agreed, and began standing up. Each held up papers with the amount they were investing. I turned around and looked behind me. There were hundreds of pots stretching into the horizon. I’m not sure I understand what the pots mean.

The day after the dream God spoke to me through a prophet and said that I was to go back to the mountain in Palm Springs where God originally met me with our vision to launch WYSIWYG. Sandy, my wife, and I flew to Palm Springs and went to the top of the mountain to pray. When we arrived at the top God spoke to my wife and I about fasting for forty days and in the midst of the discussion the Lord said, “Now I will explain to you the meaning of the dream. I, the Lord, have anointed you to receive money from investors to fill the two pots that are before you. There are others that are called to make Christian films. Many of them you do not know, but I want you to release your anointing to gather finances upon them. That is what the other pots you saw behind you are for. At this year’s film festival you are to invite any and all Christian filmmakers with their films and give them a pot with My anointing upon it. I, the Lord, will fill the pot when they set it before believers, just as I have filled your two pots.”

As you can imagine, by man’s standard, this is no way to plan a film festival. But the staff of WYSIWYG and I are just crazy enough to do exactly as the Lord has told us to do. This means that on November the 5th, at 9:00 in the morning, on a first-come-first-served basis, any Christian filmmaker can have his or her film submitted to be shown at the time slot of their choice at our ninth annual Christian Film Festival. I realize this is dangerous. Who knows what’s going to be submitted–everything from junk to boredom to passion to greatness. But God did give us a safety valve. For short films, sixty minutes or less, the film is put on pause after two minutes, and more than 50% of the audience has to vote for the film to continue running. If your film isn’t good enough to muster up the vote your showing ends there–but, there is good news; even in spite of your bad showing, you will receive an offering from that same audience. 50% of the offering goes into your personal pot that you will receive at the awards banquet Saturday night. The other 50% goes to pay the expenses of the film festival. For feature-length films that are one hour or more, your cut-off point will be ten minutes into your film. Then you will need more than fifty percent of the audience’s vote for your film to continue. In either case, filmmakers will receive a pot and a 50% offering.

Of course, everyone is invited to this festival. There is no entrance fee, no submission fee, and no registration fee. Simply come as you are, and if you’ve shot a film bring it in DVD format, because we’ll show it.

When I presented this to the 39 members of our staff, after a long-measured silence, there was a flow of questions, which as you can imagine were pretty controversial. At the same time there was an incredible swelling of excitement. At the end of the discussion everyone in the room felt it was truly a “suddenly” from God. That’s the coolest part of this commitment to follow God's way as Jesus did. “I can only do what I see the Father doing.” On a personal level I have no clue what our festival is going to be like this year. I can tell you this one thing–it will be fresh. It will be something you’ve never seen before, full of surprises, edge of your seat tension, and full of all the kinds of miracles you read in Biblical stories. No wonder they call them Biblical epics.

Of course, all of you are invited to this festival. You can find out all the information about the festival at wysiwygfilmworks.com. I hope to see you there. Watch God take control as we constantly lose it.