HOLLYWOOD, CA (ANS) -- The 17th Annual Movieguide® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry, to be held Feb. 11 in Beverly Hills, has called for entries to its annual $50,000 Epiphany Prizes for Inspiring Movies and TV, sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation.

DVD entries are due Dec. 15 and may be delivered, with a list of credits, to Movieguide® at Suite 502, 2510-G Las Posas Road in Camarillo, CA 93010, USA. Entry applications are available on the web at www.epiphanyprizes.com/rules.html.

The Epiphany Prizes are designed to honor the creative geniuses and production/distribution executives behind theatrical movies and nationally-available television programs released in the United States that result in “a great increase in man’s love or understanding of God.”

Past Epiphany winners have included “Amazing Grace,” Hallmark Hall of Fame’s “The Valley of Light,” “The Nativity Story,” “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,” “7th Heaven,” “Touched by an Angel,” “Love Comes Softly,” “The Passion of the Christ,” “The Prince of Egypt,” “Doc,” and “Amistad.”

“We want movies and television programs that honor God,” said Dr. Ted Baehr, founder of Movieguide®: A Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment and the Christian Film & Television Commission® ministry, which sponsor the Epiphany Prizes with the John Templeton Foundation.

The John Templeton Foundation serves as a philanthropic catalyst for research and discoveries relating to what scientists and philosophers call the Big Questions. It supports work at the world's top universities in such fields as theoretical physics, cosmology, evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and social science relating to love, forgiveness, creativity, purpose, and the nature and origin of religious belief. It also encourages informed, open-minded dialogue between scientists and theologians as they apply themselves to the most profound issues in their particular disciplines. Finally, it seeks to stimulate new thinking about wealth creation in the developing world, character education in schools and universities, and programs for cultivating the talents of gifted children.

The Christian Film & Television Commission® ministry and its family guide to movies, Movieguide® (www.movieguide.org), is an international non-profit ministry dedicated to “redeeming the values of the entertainment industry by influencing industry executives and by informing and equipping the public about the influence of the entertainment media.”

Their Annual Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry, which has led in recent years to a great increase in family movies and movies with positive references to God and Jesus Christ, will be celebrating its 17th year on Feb. 11, 2009 in Beverly Hills at a star-studded, televised awards show.

For more information, visit www.epiphanyprizes.com, www.movieguide.org or www.movieguide.com. You can also e-mail kendra@movieguide.org, or call 1-888-248-6689.

Note to the media: To arrange an interview with Dr. Ted Baehr, please call Tom Beard at (719) 388-1603.

Dan Wooding, 67, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma of 45 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS); and US Bureau Chief for the Missionaries News Service (www.missionariesnews.tv) and Safe Worlds IPTV’s Christian News Services. He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding He is also the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com.