Film Screenings

Why Screenings Matter

The Biola Media Conference is described as the nation’s largest conference for Christians in the entertainment industry, and screenings are where that community gets to look at the work itself.

Features and documentaries are showcased as part of the broader learning experience that runs alongside workshops and panels. Rather than discussing craft only in the abstract, the program puts finished films in front of an audience of peers, so stories can be evaluated, discussed and learned from together.

Screenings also illustrate the standard the conference is built around: raising the bar for quality media-making from a Christian perspective, and prioritizing excellence in every production discipline.

What Is Screened

• Feature Films

  Narrative features from independent and studio-affiliated Christian filmmakers, offered as complete works rather than excerpts.

• Documentaries

  Documentary work examining faith, culture and the craft of filmmaking itself.

• Craft Study

  Sessions that pair what is on screen with the workshop track, covering screenwriting, directing and visual storytelling.

Screenings Within the Conference Day

Screenings sit inside the same day of programming as the opening session, keynotes and breakout panels. On the Saturday, April 29 agenda, the day opened with a greeting and video presentation from Jack Hafer, who served as Chairman of Biola’s Cinema and Media Arts Department, followed by main stage speakers and concurrent breakout panels.

Screenings form part of the Biola Media Conference's single day of programming, running alongside the opening session, main stage keynotes and concurrent breakout panels. Rather than occupying a separate venue or an additional ticket tier, screenings are folded into the same Saturday schedule, allowing attendees to move between the big ideas of the stage and the craft of the screen without friction. This structure reflects the conference's overall philosophy: learning happens across disciplines, and the most meaningful insights often arrive in the transition between formats.

The day begins with a greeting and video presentation from Jack Hafer, who served as Chairman of Biola's Cinema and Media Arts Department, before main stage speakers take the platform. From there the schedule unfolds in a rhythm of talks and panels, with screenings placed at points where the audience can engage with finished work and then discuss how it was made. Early morning programming opens the door, mid-morning sessions establish the theme, and the remainder of the day carries the conversation forward through breakout rooms and shared viewing.

For those attending specifically for the craft of filmmaking, the screening block represents a working session as much as a showcase. Watching a film in the presence of its makers and peers sharpens attention to the choices behind the frame — pacing, sound, casting, visual design — in a way that passive viewing rarely allows. The conference was built for students, emerging filmmakers and industry professionals alike, and this shared screening format gives all three groups common ground for conversation about stories that changed lives and created careers.

Attendees are encouraged to treat the full Saturday, April 29 agenda as one continuous arc rather than a collection of separate events. Registration opens the experience, the opening session sets the tone, breakout panels deepen the subject, and screenings supply a visual counterpoint that grounds abstract discussion in finished, moving images. Because everything occurs within a single day and a walkable set of rooms, participants can follow the thread from theory to practice without needing to choose one lane over another.

The wider Biola Media Conference is presented as one of the nation's largest gatherings of Christians in the industry, bringing together creators, students, educators and representatives across media, cinema and the arts. Screensings sit within that larger purpose, offering a place where recognition of excellence and honest discussion of the work happen side by side. The result is an editorial, text-forward programme: refined in tone, generous in spacing, and designed so that the work on screen remains the loudest voice in the room.

A Program Built Around the Work

A haven for professionals and students who refuse to divorce faith from craft — raising the bar for quality media-making from a Christian perspective.

The conference is sponsored by Biola University’s Cinema and Media Arts Department and has drawn industry leaders from major studios such as Fox and Disney, along with voices from the Faithful Central Bible Church Gospel Choir.

For the full running order of the day, see the conference schedule. To meet the professionals behind the work, visit conference speakers.