THE NARROW WAY FILM FESTIVAL in Philadelphia is an eagerly-awaited annual event that showcases shorts and feature-length film and videos, documentaries, comedies, webisodes, TV pilots, animations, music videos and commercials with Christian themes.

Encore Films is delighted that its 2016 multi-award-winning production, I’ll Walk with God, was selected to be part of a festival which provides a platform for audiences who want media that expresses the range of Christian experiences and the unique ways humanity navigates them.

The film – which elsewhere has brought Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards for Norman Bowman, Virginia Byron and Claire Heverin – has been installed in the festival’s Hall of Fame with the inscription “The Narrow Way Film Festival salutes the visionaries and inspiration that made this film possible.”

It is the festival’s hope that I’ll Walk with God and other films in the action-packed three-day event will inspire and empower diverse audiences in a family-friendly atmosphere.

Above: Norman Bowman (as the Rev Jim Watson) and Virginia Byron (as Emma Crawford)

In I’ll Walk with God the idyllic world of American opera-singer-turned-priest Jim Watson – known to his parishioners as “The Singing Vicar” – is changed forever when the English woman he will marry reveals the cruel fate destined to overwhelm both their lives and that of the vicar’s actress daughter, Holly.

Above: Norman Bowman and Claire Heverin as Jim’s actress daughter, Holly

The film’s many awards in the United States so far include Best International Musical Drama (The Texas Ultimate Shorts Film Festival) and Best Foreign Musical (The Wendy’s Shorts Awards Film Festival) and, at The Christian Film Festival in Virginia, Best Short Film, Best Movie: Audience Vote, Best Director, Best Director: Audience Vote, and the Inspire Award for the Encore Films Choir.

Above: The Opera Company of Philadelphia where the film’s Jim Watson was a rising star

The film’s musical numbers include the popular melodic setting of “The Lord’s Prayer” by Philadelphia-born organist-composer Albert Hay Malotte, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel, “Thank You For the Music”, Bach-Gounod’s “Ave Maria”, “Because (God Made Thee Mine)” by Gounod’s Paris Conservatory pupil Guy d’Hardelot, “On The Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady, the Neapolitan song “Come Prima” (Jim’s Italian mother is from Napoli) and the film’s title-song.

Above: The Encore Films Choir, recipient of the Aspire Award in Virginia

The Encore films Choir comprises (above, left to right) Elisa Hayrapetyan, Laia Martinez Rubir, Francesca Moran, Aude Florentin, Lara Cooper-Chadwick, Daria King, Georgina Roberts, Anastasia Drew and Joyce Agbonson. They are all variously singers, actors or dancers in their own right, some with a vast amount of experience internationally.

In the photo above, with Norman Bowman as “The Singing Vicar”, they are performing Bach-Gounod’s classic “Ave Maria” which is his wife Emma’s favourite religious song. The choir also make a key appearance in “The Lord’s Prayer” scene and in the title-song “I’ll Walk with God” in the end credits.

Above: Philadelphia’s International House Cinema on Chestnut Street

Venetia Baldwin (below right), the inspirational founder and curator of The Narrow Way Film Festival, explains: “There’s something very powerful about seeing stories unfold on screen and getting assurance that you’re not alone on life’s journey. As a Christian, I’ve yearned for films that change the atmosphere of what is commonly accepted in mainstream media.

“Films that empower, inspire and advance messages of morality,” adds Venetia, “haven’t always had the platform they’ve been enjoying in the last few years. I want to create a family-friendly atmosphere where people with diverse backgrounds can see quality films that address the challenges and victories of believers while also spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

The North American Film Awards, New Brunswick, Canada
The Headline International Film Festival, Hollywood
The New York State international Film Festival, Schenectady, New York
The Los Angeles CineFest, California
The Christian Online Film Festival, Virginia
The Texas Ultimate Shorts Film Festival, Texas
The Wendy’s Shorts Awards Film Festival
The Christian Film Festival, Virginia
The Online Film Festival
The GloryReelz Christian Film Festival, Detroit
The Direct Short Online Film Festival
The Eastern NC Film Festival, Winterville, North Carolina