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Attend the Festival
2009 Panel Information
Reel Community: Rediscovering the Church's role in a place like Hollywood
Does the Church have a place in Hollywood?
At a time when Christians are ever on the search for new and revolutionary ways of reaching people, "Church" might seem rather traditional and out of touch. But what if Church is something far deeper than what we've all been thinking? What if community -- real, raw, genuine community -- was still one of God's primary ways of reaching the world? And what if that very kind of relationship in a group of Artists is not only possible, but is itself a taste of the kingdom God wants to create?
Join our panel of filmmakers and church leaders as we discuss Reel
Community, and the Church's role to strengthen believers in Hollywood
and to act an agent of Redemption within the Industry.
 Barbara Nicolosi, Executive Director
Act ONE program
Originally from Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Barbara R. Nicolosi has an M.A. in Television and Film from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
Ms. Nicolosi is the founding Director of Act One, Inc, a non-profit training and formation program for Hollywood writers and executives. Now in its sixth year, Act One keynotes artistry, professionalism, ethics and Christian spirituality. A screenwriter herself, Miss Nicolosi is the co-writer with Benedict Fitzgerald (The Passion of the Christ) of "Mary, Mother of Christ" which is being produced by Aloe Entertainment for MGM and will be in theaters in April of 2010. She teaches theology and spirituality to converts from the entertainment industry and frequently lectures on screenwriting and film spirituality at writer's forums throughout the United States.
Ms. Nicolosi has been described as "a modern day anti-Jonah, passionately crashing the gates of today's Ninevahs -- Los Angeles and New York -- on behalf of an interdenominational campaign to find and train Christian artists to work in the entertainment business."
 Ryan Bell, Senior Pastor
Hollywood Adventist Church
Ryan Bell has been a pastor for 15 years and is currently the senior pastor of the Hollywood Seventh-day Adventist Church where he has served since June 2005. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan and is now completing a Doctor of Ministry in Missional Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.
For the past three and half years, he and his congregation have been active in the Hollywood community and the city of Los Angeles bearing witness to God's reign by, in part, working for solutions to some of the most intractable social problems including homelessness, affordable housing and human trafficking through advocacy and faith-based community organizing.
The Hollywood Adventist Church is home to a growing community of artists - fine artists, photographers, filmmakers, musicians, actors, graphic designers, interior designers, writers and architects. Ryan and his family live in Los Angeles, just two miles from the church.
 Rajeev Sigamoney, Comedy Writer/Director
JESUS PEOPLE movie & web-series
As one half of Ewald/Sigamoney, Rajeev Sigamoney landed on the map with "The Room," which was shot one weekend in 2004 on the CBS Radford lot. The aggressive indie company continued with "The Captain" starring Tim Bagley and Jennifer Coolidge and cameos by Wanda Sykes and Cheryl Hines, building a talent base of their favorite comedic actors.
SONscreen is proud to have screened previous Ewald/Sigamoney films in past like 'Happy Wednesday,' a short dark comedy about a struggling comic, which has lead to a strong partnership with the festival. Also showcased were multiple episodes of the independently shot web series "Jesus People" which ended up being seen by 500,000 youtube viewers and spawned the feature. Rajeev attends the Hollywood Seventh-day Adventist Church.
 David Magidoff, Artistic Director
Monkey Butler Comedy Company
David is the Artistic Director for the Los Angeles-based Monkey Butler Comedy Company, which currently hosts five free workshops in improv and stand-up comedy every week. David's vast and privileged career on the stage includes performing at The Oval Theatre (London), The Majestic House Theater (New Zealand), The National Comedy Theatre (San Diego), The New Jersey Drama Festival, Atlas Improv (Wisconsin), The Westside Eclectic, Improv Olympic, and more. He was a regular performer as a part of The Department of Untapped Hilarity in Disneyland. He has studied under the likes of The Groundlings, The British American Drama Academy, Sam Christensen Studios, and the UCLA & USC Theatre Schools. Recent credits include a recurring role on Veronica Mars and the television show, Greek. You can currently see David as Marshall's assistant, Dave, on the new Disney Channel show, Sonny With A Chance.
David attends Mosaic, "a community of followers of Jesus Christ committed to live by faith, to be known by love, and to be a voice of hope."
 Melody George, Panel Moderator
Filmmaker/Festival Programmer
Melody George views film as the language of our culture, an art form that has far-reaching influence in our society. She is a graduate of Southern Adventist University film program and is a SONscreen Film Festival alumni and a past festival student winner. Her passion is to find ways to use this language of film to draw people to God as she lives and works among the people of Hollywood. Projects currently in production include Marbles with Thoreau, a short film inspired by the life of Henry David Thoreau, and a documentary film on the Hollywood Adventist Church and its journey to discover authentic Christian community. Melody's goal is to use this powerful tool to tell positive stories that will uplift, entertain, and inspire. She currently resides in Burbank, California.
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