Biola University’s Cinema and Media Arts department is holding its annual Biola Media Conference on May 3 this year with Erwin McManus, founder and pastor of the Los Angeles-based church MOSAIC, as its keynote speaker. The BMC, which attracts more than 600 attendees, is the largest of its kind in the nation.

BIOLA ALUMNUS TO SPEAK AT BMC 

This year’s speakers will feature several active Hollywood producers, including Dan Lin of “The LEGO Movie” and Gavin O’Connor of FX’s “The Americans,” according to the conference’s website.

Alumnus Zach King (‘12), whose popularity on YouTube and Vine recently landed him an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” will also take center stage during the conference, where he’ll be highlighting the advantages of creating online audiences with tools that are available for everyone.

“The old way of Hollywood is broken, so we’ve got to keep up with how stories are being told and spread on the Internet,” King said. “I’m looking forward to being around filmmakers who are passionate about Jesus and good at what they do. Conferences like these are great places to continue to flame your creative spark.”

King believes his faith and profession are intertwined, saying Christians should be involved in Hollywood to be a light for Christ.

“Whether we are nurses, scientists, teachers, artists or filmmakers, we all have the same calling to share the gospel with the world. My talent and love is in filmmakers, so I am an ambassador of Christ, disguised as a filmmaker,” King said.

Matthew Hawksworth, co-producer of the BMC, said the purpose of this year’s conference will be to learn from some of the film industry’s most successful producers of television and film. The focus is on the process of making ideas into projects that will become memorable works of art. 

“The conference unites major Hollywood executives and feature film directors and producers alongside aspiring filmmakers and students who are passionate about incorporating their faith into their filmmaking and art in general,” Hawksworth said.

WORKSHOPS OFFERED 

An assortment of workshops will be offered, exploring topics like film industry politics, entertainment design and the basics of working in Hollywood, all aimed with the goal of preparing Christian filmmakers to impact the industry for Christ, according to the conference website. There will be two main sessions, one in the morning, which will feature the keynote producers, and one in the afternoon, where the biblical accuracy of 2014’s “Noah” will be a point of discussion.

Hawksworth said he believes God can use any movie, regardless of type, genre or label, to speak to someone or to glorify himself through. He also says that whatever type of media Christians create or pursue, they should approach it in light of their worldview and work hard to make each project the best it can be.

“It’s through our daily interactions of working on film sets with the rest of the crew, or writing a script in a TV writer’s room with the other writers … that’s just as important as a finished film is to bringing glory to Christ,” Hawksworth said.