FAMILY FILMS CAN RULE!
By Dave Lukens

We continue our campaign to show Hollywood that there is a market for family films and we are having an impact.  A recent article in the New York Daily News said, “Everything you need to know about [the movie] box office for 2001 can be summed up with two facts:  The year’s highest grossing movie was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  The biggest flop was Pootie Tang.  In short, family films rule!” 

While Harry Potter was not awarded the Dove Seal due to occult issues, the film was free of sex, graphic violence, and fowl language.  Family films are making a come back and are doing very well at the box office.  Is Hollywood getting the message?  We think maybe they are.  As you can see by the recent Dove Family-Approved films listed in this newsletter, family audiences have more to choose from now than they have in a very long time.  Not only has Hollywood been making more family fare, but independent film producers also have been providing some great films.  Look at the ads in this newsletter for Reversal, The Climb, and Stranger In the Woods. These films were produced either by small studios or independently produced and are wonderful family films.  We would recommend any of these films for your video library.

Custom edited films now on home video:

The Dove Foundation has recently been promoting through its web site a company called Family Flix.  Family Flix provides the service of editing DVDs that you buy. They take out the graphic violence, sex and obscene language so you can enjoy the film without all that unsavory material.

It is our understanding that they can legally perform the editing process on these films because they are merely providing a service to you, the film’s owner, in editing out the material that you do not wish to have in your DVD.  We think this is great, and would recommend that if you want clean-up films to watch with your family, that you start buying films that Family Flix will clean up for you.  Go to our home page at www.dove.org for a list of edited films that we have reviewed and awarded the Dove FAMILY EDITED Seal.  You should be aware that not all the films that Family Flix offers are Dove Approved.  They still offer many films that, even when “cleaned-up” do not meet our criteria for wholesome family fare. But, they are providing a good service and we recommend that you give them a try.

Much done - more to do:

We have made progress in our efforts to convince Hollywood that family films are both popular and profitable; but more work is needed.  We invite you to partner with Dove to continue sending Hollywood the message that family films rule, not only at the box office but also on videos and DVD’s.  Please consider making your voice heard by going to see family films like The Rookie, Ice Age, and others at your local theater. You can also make a difference by buying Dove-Approved Family videos and DVD’s. 

Here are a few ways you can support The Dove Foundation and reap a direct benefit for yourself and your family. 

• In exchange for a donation to The Dove Foundation, we can offer you one or more high quality, entertaining family-friendly videos to choose from, compliments of several film makers who believe in Dove and its mission.

• Order any of New Line Cinema’s four movies that carry the Dove Family-Edited Seal.  New Line is the only major studio that has released edited versions of any of their products.  The more videos we can help them sell, the more likely they are to release more family-edited titles.

Thank you for your support of The Dove Foundation. We cannot continue to voice the concerns of families like yours to Hollywood without your continued support.  Please partner with Dove today so family films can indeed be the rule and not the exception.