Sunday, December 04
9:30 AM - 10:45 AM

Worshipping History
Sala Ellisse

Sponsored By:
     Municipality of Cerveteri

It's time to get RELIGION! Do you cringe when you hear the "R" word? Have you written off religion as a subject that no one under 70 is interested in? Think again. The incredible popularity of The Da Vinci Code in print and on television proves that there are BIG audiences for religious content - not to mention series like Touched by an Angel and feature films like Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. About 84% of the world's population define themselves as adherents of a specific religion. Stories of Christian and Islamic fundamentalism dominate the news. In the U.S., evangelical churches are growing but around the world, people are also shying away from organized religions and choosing to be "spiritual" rather than "religious". What does all this mean for producers, broadcasters and distributors? Beyond preachers and hymn sings, religious programming expands into many genres: history, science, drama, docudrama, even decorating makeovers. This session will look at what constitutes a religious program, what's in production, what's hot and what's next in the history of religions for television and address the tough question: When religion can be so popular how come we get so squeamish about it?

Sponsor Introductions:
     Antonio Brazzini, Mayor
     Municipality of Cerveteri Italia

Producer:
     Alberta Nokes, Director of Independent Production/Commissioning Editor
     VISION TV Canada

Moderator:
     Alberta Nokes, Director of Independent Production/Commissioning Editor
     VISION TV Canada

Participants:
     Carl Hall, Managing Director
     Parthenon Entertainment Ltd UK
     Richard Melman, Channel Director
     The History Channel UK
     Sara Melodia, Creative Vice President
     Lux Vide Italy
     David Rabinovitch, Executive Producer
     Fleetwood Films USA