A WALK TO REMEMBER – ‘CHRISTIAN’ FILM IN AUSTRALIAN CINEMAS By Karen Wilkinson*

The film, ‘A Walk To Remember’, which created a stir in Christian media when it was released recently in the US, has topped $41 million at the box office and has broken all predictions on its release. The film starring recording artist, Mandy Moore and Daryl Hannah breaks new ground with its Hollywood portrayal of Christians on screen and its recognition of the audience potential among the Christian community. Distributors are eager to repeat the films success at the US box office when it hits Australian cinemas on 27 June.

The movie, centred on the daughter of a Baptist preacher, played by Moore, is an inspirational coming-of-age love story. Moore’s character, Jamie, is portrayed in a flattering light, prudent, smart and willing to live by her faith regardless of the teasing she receives. Jamie’s lifestyle is consistent with the Bible she carries and far removed from that of the popular high school rebel Landon, (Shane West). Unlikely to even glance at each other in the halls, their lives become inextricably linked when a prank Landon and his gang are involved in goes horribly wrong.

The movie, based on the novel by Nicholas Spark (author of Message in a Bottle) was marketed at a Christian audience after Producer Denise Di Novi managed to convince Warner Bros. of the untapped potential in the Christian market. Executives are hoping enough Christians will be attracted by the film’s content to support Di Novi’s claim. However they do not claim the film to be a Christian film – rather it’s a movie for young people with a Christian character.

The film-makers passion for the story is not fixed on box office takings. Di Novi was captured by the book first. “It was such a beautiful, powerful and meaningful story. By the end, I was so moved, I was crying my head off just like everybody else who reads it.” Executive Producer Bill Johnson agreed. “A Walk to Remember taps into emotions that we so often try to keep tucked deep inside ourselves,” he says. “It speaks to the universal theme of joy through found love.”

*Karen Wilkinson – Staff Writer with The Baptist Advocate, Perth.

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Photo Caption: Mandy Moore and Shane West play the lead roles in A Walk to Remember, a refreshingly realistic film about a Christian teenager, has been a box office success in the US and is due for release into Australian cinemas on 27 June.