Download study (pdf format)

Download short film (mov or flv format)

May 4th is the deadline for film submissions for the next festival ("May the fourth be with you!")

It's fast approaching... so spread the word and look forward to some more great films. Remember all genres welcome (music video, doco, drama, animation) and we're not exclusive, so if you missed out on getting a placing at other festivals, or even have an old film that's gathering dust - brush it off and send it in.

Mail or online uploads are fine (see contact details).

Download study (pdf format)

Download short film (mov or flv format)

Download study (pdf format)

Download short film (mov or flv format)

Let us know if you used it and how it went. Was it useful? What would you change to make it better?

Fireside studies are inspiring discussion-starters for:
? religious educators
? discussion-group leaders
? inter-faith facilitators
featuring the films hosted at campfire.net.au

One way to use this site is as a resource for ‘offline’ or face-to-face discussion groups. I come from a tradition where ‘small groups’ do this all the time on different topics and issues. Over the next month, this log turner blog will feature each of the current finalists in a reflective study using the short films as a starting point. The studies will include:
• a brief introduction to content of the film
• key spiritual/faith-related themes raised by the film
• questions for discussion

Discussion leaders can then download the appropriate short film (video), print out the fireside study, and use the questions and themes to generate some discussion. Some of the questions posed in the fireside study will also be posted on the online forums for comments from the online community to contribute to.

Depending on the response we get, this may become a regular feature of the site.
We’ll be continually looking for input to the fireside studies from people of all faiths in order to enrich the discussions possible. The celebration of short films comes not only through watching them, but also by engaging with the subject matter with others.

David Tiley, editor of online news mag Screen Hub, writes at length about the latest Christianity-poking documentary The Lost Tomb of Jesus. Tiley, along with numerous others around the blogosphere are incredulous about its big claims: that Jesus’ bones, along with those of his wife and child have now been found in Jerusalem.

What interests me most about all this is not so much the details of the arguments the doco puts forward (try Discovery’s promo, various for & against arguments here, and solidly against here) but what it says about our reverence for the documentary as a form. A comedy like Mr Deity comes to us so clearly packaged as presenting a point of view. We see it as subjective and deal with it as such, on its own terms. A documentary like The Lost Tomb on the other hand, sets itself up as objective truth, when by all accounts this one is thoroughly riveted with holes.

Pull up a folding chair, watch the glow and have a chat.

What is a Sikh film? What is a Christian film? An indigenous film? In selecting the films for the launch Festival of Campfire, these questions have very much come to the surface.

Of course, short films can be used by different religious groups to promote a particular message or point of view, just as they are by any advertiser. And why not? Short films are such a potent medium. I certainly came across no shortage of films that had a message to sell. In this setting, however, I have attempted to find films that share, rather than those which sell. On one level, the difference is artificial, and even naïve to hope for. But I believe the difference is still there and worth looking for. Two examples I hope illustrate my point.

So much can be said about every aspect of getting this project going. At the top of the list would be an acknowledgement of all the wonderful support I’ve received on so many levels – personal, technical, and spiritual – to get to where things are right now. However, to keep everything manageable, I’ll endeavour to stay focussed on what this site is for: