EWTN's The Crusades wins the Grand Prix Niepokalanow Poland

EWTN’s The Crusades wins major award

Map showing the extent of Muslim conquest by 732

EWTN, the global Catholic television network has won the Grand Prix of the 30^th Niepokalanow International Catholic Film Festival Poland. http://www.festiwalniepokalanow.pl/ The competition to win this award was considerable with entries coming from 18 different countries, and included 117 feature films, documentaries and TV programs. 

The production was filmed in seven counties across Europe and the Holy Land and included interviews with four major Crusades historians from Britain and the USA. They were able to bring to the production some of the very latest scholarship regarding the Crusades and have dispelled many of the myths.  

The Crusades was an international co-production between EWTN -Global Catholic Network (USA), St Clare Media – EWTN (UK), Buckfast Abbey (UK) and Lux communication (Slovakia). We hope that people will take a fresh look at the Crusades instead of following the tired old dated theories.

Links to clips

The Opening Sequence

EWTN Wings

Now in Production for EWTN a four part docudrama

The Inquisition

After months of Pre-Production, the production phase of EWTN’s The Inquisition is now underway. There is still of course much planning and research to be done and the scripts need to be finalised.

The first filming sessions have now taken place with an 11 day trip to Spain. We kicked off in Spain mainly because I wanted the film the Semana Santa (Holy Week) penitential processions.

One of the Penitential Brotherhoods
Process in Salamanca 

Just like EWTN’s The Crusades I wanted a binding element as sort of background link to history that I could use in various places in the documentary. For the Crusades, I used the Chartres Pilgrimage, which not only takes place in the heartland of the Franks but also emphasises the pilgrimage element of the Crusades. For the Inquisition I wanted to film during Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the penitential processions in Spain. This gives us a pictorial view of the penitential link between Auto de fe, the inquisition, and today.

The Brothers carry a float depicting
Christ and Roman solider.

Superb workmanship on the figures. 

On 26^th March I flew into Madrid and met the team, Michal Benko Camera/Editor and Paul Kadlecik second Camera/Technician. Michal and Paul picked up hire car and we then started a gruelling eleven day, 1500 mile trip around major inquisition sites and cities of Spain. Not to mention filming the Holy Week processions which are accompanied by massive crowds: there were 300,000 they tell me lining the streets in Seville, which made filming very challenging, however, luckily we already had processions at Avila and Salamanca in the can.

Typically ornate Spanish Church

Like The Crusades for The Inquisition we are attempting to get to the truth of the matter. Why for example has the Inquisition become a byword for terror, cruelty and religious fanaticism? A black legend has been created with most of the fingers pointing at the Catholic Church and in particular, Spain. However, most these myths and Black Legends are false, created by the ancestors of the modern secular media. And just like the today’s Black Legends, they are, and continue to be created by those with an agenda yes they were created for a reason. If you want to find out the full story of the Inquisition we hope to finish the series by the late autumn of this year.

EWTN to show The Crusades again

Crusaders Pray before battle

THE CRUSADES

EWTN are to show the mini-series The Crusades from Tuesday 24^th to Friday 27 February click here http://www.ewtn.co.uk/

Here is the schedule for the UK and Ireland

EWTN Gallery.

Combining epic dramatic sequences with insights from leading historians, this mini-series clears up the many myths and distortions surrounding the Crusades. Filmed in the Holy Land and Europe.

Ep 1 Journeys of Faith

Tuesday 24, 02:00, 10:30, 21:00.

(30 mins)

Ep 2 The Crusader States

Wednesday 25, 02:00, 10:30, 21:00.

(30 mins)

Ep 3 Christendom Responds

Thursday 26, 02:00, 10:30, 21:00.

(30 mins)

Ep 4 Failures and Successes

Friday 27, 02:00, 10:30, 21:00.

(30 mins)

In the USA the times are as follows: 

click here https://www.ewtn.com/tv/index.asp#

EWTN Gallery

THE CRUSADES - JOURNEY’S OF FAITH

A look at the history and reasons for the Crusades, which originally was called an 'armed pilgrimage', aiding safety for pilgrims visiting the Holy Land against Muslim conquerors.

Tuesday 02/24 at 3:00 AM ET, 6:30 PM ET

CC TV-PG

EWTN Gallery

THE CRUSADES - THE CRUSADER STATES

After the miraculous success of the First Crusade, the Crusader hierarchy set up the Crusader States, along with the rise of Saladin and his conquest of Jerusalem.

Wednesday 02/25 at 3:00 AM ET, 6:30 PM ET

CC TV-PG

EWTN Gallery

THE CRUSADES - CHRISTENDOM RESPONDS

King Richard the Lionheart of England, King Philip of France and the German Emperor Fredrick Barbarossa embark on the Third Crusade; the famous meeting between St Francis of Assisi and sultan Al-Kamil.

Thursday 02/26 at 3:00 AM ET, 6:30 PM ET

CC TV-PG

EWTN Gallery

THE CRUSADES - FAILURES AND SUCCESSES

A look at the failures and successes of the Crusades and its legacy.

Friday 02/27 at 3:00 AM ET, 6:30 PM ET

CC TV-PG

In Search of Christendom

Slovak Premier tonight (5th February 2015) of EWTN’s

In Search of Christendom – The Chartres Pilgrimage

Our latest documentary is to be premiered tonight on the Slovak Catholic TV channel, TV Lux.

Their production house, Lux communication are co-producers and EWTN have given them permission to show it first in Slovak. The reason for this is to show solidarity with our Slovak brothers and sisters for their coming referendum on the family on Saturday.  The documentary has strong pro-life and pro-traditional family storylines.

The other themes I wanted to bring out in the documentary are that an impressive number of young people are craving orthodox Catholic values and teachings. There are other surprising elements to this pilgrimage like the Muslims who join it for they respect true Christianity. There are even a number of Muslims converts here, and a young Chaldean Catholic talks movingly about the plight of his home land, Iraq.

Young people talk freely about Tradition in the Church and traditional family values. This pilgrimage is a great act of witness in the face of the militant secularism of the west. They are not afraid to proclaim their faith with hymns and prayers all day long. It was a privilege to witness to this spectacular event and to make a documentary on it.  The documentary is being aired at 18:45 European time at please click http://www.tvlux.sk/nazivo/ that is 5:45pm GMT.

Much thanks should be given to EWTN for their support of this project and to Lux communication for screening it at this vital time.

The referendum questions:

Marriage: Do you agree that no other cohabitation but the union between one man and one woman should be called marriage?

Adoption: Do you agree that neither same sex couples nor groups shall be allowed to adopt children and subsequently raise them?

Sex Education and Euthanasia: Do you agree that schools cannot require the participation of children in classes dedicated to sexual behavior or euthanasia if their parents or the children themselves do not agree with the content of the lessons?

Please support the referendum petition http://citizengo.org/en/16935-support-slovakian-family-referendum Please note: this is an independent petition and not anything to do with EWTN or Lux communication.

Young Catholics want orthodoxy 2

In Search of Christendom – The Chartres Pilgrimage

Series title and logo

Coming soon EWTN’s documentary In Search of Christendom – The Chartres Pilgrimage, dates yet to be announced but we are now in the final stages of mixing the sound. Keep checking this blog for dates and times and EWTN. It will be broadcast in the usual ways and will also be shown live on St Clare Media’s site at www.ewtn.co.uk  

Young people gather at Notre Dame Cathedral 

Camp fire pilgrims sing hymns

Here is a short description:

On the day before Pentecost Sunday thousands of young people gather at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris France. They are there for a Traditional Latin Mass before they set out on a three day walking pilgrimage to Notre Dame de Chartres Cathedral. As they march through Paris praying and singing hymns it is clear that this is a great act of witness. This shows that despite the wishes of secularists, Christianity is still alive in Western Europe, especially among the young.

The Sacred Heart in National Flags 

One of the documentary's themes

Pentecost Mass in field

Many of the chapters are made up of scouts, there are also other groups and chapters that come from all over Europe, some as far afield as the USA and the Middle East. There can be between 12 to 20,000 people on this pilgrimage. We asked the question why do so many young people come on this pilgrimage?  It became clear they have rejected secular values with all its hedonism and materialism they are searching for a deeper meaning for their lives, and they are looking for orthodox Catholic values – they are searching for Christendom.

High Mass with bishop at Chartres Cathedral

Illustrations for The Crusades and Wales documentaries

Illustrations for EWTN’s The Crusades

When making a documentary it is important to make it as visually interesting as possible. Therefore, I like to use as many props as possible. Both Wales, The Golden Thread of Faith and The Crusades had drama sequences to depict the historical events. I also like to use other visual aids such as Maps and Illustrations. I did have permission to use actual manuscript illuminations however these proved to be too expensive and we would need to renew the licence after a certain time. In the end I did the illustrations myself. For the Crusades I employed a manuscript illumination style. However, as a trained illustrator I couldn't help add perspective in some of the illustrations. For example The Crusader Ships and St George and the Saints at Antioch have perspective in them. The Crusader Knights are perhaps more true to the actual style of 11^th and 12^th manuscripts illumination style.

Perspective did not arrive in art until the Renaissance and the great Piero della Francesca who did some amazing studies in perspective theory and virtually invented it. Having studied perspective theory when I was at art college I find Piero della Francesca work very inspiring.

Below are some of my illustrations for The Crusades and for Wales, the Golden Thread of Faith

Crusader Knights
EWTN's The Crusades
2014,   Private Collection

St George and other Saints appear and help the
Crusaders at Antioch
EWTN's The Crusades
2014,   Private Collection  

Crusader Ships
EWTN's The Crusades
2014,   Private Collection    

Frederick II
EWTN's The Crusades 
2014

A siege Tower
EWTN's The Crusades
2014

Muslim Warriors
EWTN's The Crusades
2014

St Thomas More (after Hans Holbine) Private collection
EWTN's Wales - The Golden Thread of Faith
2013 Private Collection  

Thomas Cromwell arrests a Cistercian Abbot

 EWTN's Wales - The Golden Thread of Faith
 2013   

Welsh Cistercian monks at Valle Crucis Abbey
EWTN's Wales - The Golden Thread of Faith
2013

Have a Christendom Christmas 2014

Wishing all a Happy and

Blessed Christmas

Have very happy and holy Christmas

 Jesus was born to save all from sin 

Glory to God in the highest: and on earth peace to men of good will

(St Luke 2:14)

In the next year The Christendom Project will bring you a number new EWTN productions which we hope will inspire and that you will enjoy