Jesus Camp (2006)

A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.

Directors:

Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady

Stars:

Mike Papantonio, Lou Engle, Becky Fischer

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Lou Engle	...	Himself
Becky Fischer	...	Herself
Ted Haggard	...	Himself
Mike Papantonio	...	Himself - Commentator

Storyline

Jesus Camp follows several young children as they prepare to attend a summer camp where the kids will get their daily dose of evangelical Christianity. Becky Fischer works at the camp, which is named Kids on Fire. Through interviews with Fischer, the children, and others, Jesus Camp illustrates the unswerving belief of the faithful. A housewife and homeschooling mother tells her son that creationism has all the answers. Footage from inside the camp shows young children weeping and wailing as they promise to stop their sinning. Child after child is driven to tears. Juxtapose these scenes with clips from a more moderate Christian radio host (who is appalled by such tactics), and Jesus Camp seems to pose a clear question: are these children being brainwashed?

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Plot Keywords:

evangelical | bible belt | pentecostalism | cardboard cutout | fast food restaurant | 

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Taglines:

America is being born again

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some discussions of mature subject matter

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 2007 (France)

Also Known As:

Campamento Jesús

Filming Locations:

Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,659, 17 September 2006, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$902,544

Company Credits

Production Co:

A&E IndieFilms, Loki Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min 58 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an episode of 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die (2011), Levi, the young boy spotlighted from the bible camp, pointed out that his mother's quote "Our firm belief is there are two kinds of people in the world: people who love Jesus and people who don't," actually concluded with "And they both deserve love and respect," and that she had been cut off prematurely to add to the context of the film.

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Goofs

Becky Fisher swings a stuffed Lion and says "You've got a Tiger by the tail".

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Quotes

Levi: I think Galileo made the right choice by giving up science for Christ.

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Connections

References Fear Factor (2001)

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Soundtracks

Breathe Prophesy
Music and lyrics by Todd Ganovski

User Reviews

This is real footage from the 21th century

This documentary offers a rare chance to get a close view inside a not very well known society within our society. I thought the content was very honest, and - although this is not the kind of movie people watch for entertainment value - I would like to point out that this is also a very well made film, and certainly never dull or boring.

Religious communities are not often very open towards journalists or filmmakers; they fear - probably with good reason - that their portrayal by the secular media is biased and that their believes are depicted in the wrong light. However, in this documentary the filmmakers were granted full access, and the evangelical community whose portrayal you get to see in the film got the chance to see it first before it was released to the general public. They thought it was an accurate depiction of their lifestyle and their believes.

What you see in this film is not staged - this is real, 21th century footage. Highly recommended. 9 stars out of 10.

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