Let's start with probably the most classic question of all classic questions: what is the Filmana project and who is behind it?
Filmana is primarily a foundation that aims to bring Christianity and its values through film creation. That is the fundamental basis - it is a non-profit project that is not backed by any established organization, but by about ten people connected by faith in God and the belief that living faith needs to extend beyond the walls of church buildings.
The first project is the eponymous streaming platform, which offers a collection of films, series, and documentaries that can (we hope) satiate the soul.
With a bit of exaggeration, we talk about Filmana as a mission project on the digital continent.
Starting a "Czech Netflix," especially one very specifically focused on films with Christian and spiritual themes, probably required a necessary dose of courage. A fundraising campaign was launched for the project; I can imagine that expenses probably exceed income, and managing the necessary copyright arrangements surely wasn't easy. Can you describe what kept you motivated and how you persevered with your intention to create a "Czech Christian Netflix"?
When I was a child, we didn't have a television at home, and my parents still don't. At the same time, I come from a generation that now mainly uses streaming platforms to watch films or listen to music. It's natural for me. However, being able to watch something high-quality, Christian, and legal online was simply not possible until recently. And we saw that as an untapped opportunity. So following the motto: "Who, if not us, when, if not now," we dove into it.
Our inspiration came from foreign platforms and the approach of the studio behind the series The Chosen.
At the same time, we were experiencing a crisis in our parent company, which was struggling, and that gave us time to reassess things and think more broadly.
Last but not least, I am by nature a pragmatic person, and according to data, the streaming service market in Europe is constantly on the rise. So the question wasn't whether something like this would arise in the environment of believers, but rather when.
It sounds obvious, but we thought about it for half a year, searched for information, and held discussions. Then it came down to money. We managed to raise some funds in the collection, some were donated by enlightened patrons, and a large part came from our own pockets. Even so, we were at one third of the budget we ideally needed. But we had to get it started. Now - after a year - the situation isn't much rosier: we have borrowed a lot of money. But we believe that with God's blessing it will work out. Additionally, since November, we finally have new television and mobile apps to make viewing more enjoyable. We are managing to acquire new films, even those that have never been released here. Now we just need the viewers to believe in our mission :)
What all did you have to go through for the original idea to become Filmana in the form we know today? Could you share a bizarre or humorous story from the early days of Filmana's inception with our readers?
It's simple; it took a lot of diligent work, perseverance, and patience.
We probably don't have a specific humorous incident, but it was definitely funny at first because we ventured into a field we knew nothing about. Although I'm a filmmaker, content distribution is a completely different category.
We had no idea how much films would cost, where to find them, or how to technically build the platform.
We started as a blank slate. We know a bit more now, but we are still learning.
A bittersweet story was that we presented our intention to one patron, who hinted that he would be willing to support us with a significant amount of money. Encouraged by the prospect of financial backing, we dived in fully. In the end, however, we received no funds from that person and had to laboriously seek them elsewhere. But on the other hand - without that promise, we might not have even started, so it was a necessary nudge.
The team behind Filmana is definitely not inexperienced in film. You have experience, for example, with the unfortunately overlooked YouTube project Church Behind the Curtain or the amazing documentary Dogs of the Lord, whose review even appeared in our diocesan magazine Katabáze. Do you continue to engage in film production, or does all your time and energy go into Filmana?
Filmana and film production are ultimately interconnected. In collaboration with our production company Bumerang Film, we are currently preparing several shows and films that will premiere on Filmana and that we want to send out into the world.
Among others, there is a documentary series Tones of Freedom about prisoners who turned to faith, or the series Faith Foot Soldiers - stories of people of faith who serve God almost invisibly their whole lives, leaving behind many transformed lives.
We are also preparing programs about passing faith within families and a show specifically for children. In addition, we are developing two films - one about a charismatic but controversial Indian preacher who works around the world, and one about the pilgrimage site Neratov, which is meant to be a huge inspiration.
In general, as believers, particularly in Europe, we underutilize the potential of media and film production, which has great power both towards believers, to educate and strengthen them in their faith, but also towards seekers, as it is a great evangelistic tool.
Film production is extremely expensive and time-consuming, but we firmly believe it is worthwhile and that it is our path.
In our regions, it's quite typical that we are often reluctant to pay for something. Imagine that a potential subscriber of Filmana is sitting in front of you, armed with a range of arguments including that "matters related to faith should be provided to people for free" and "you want to profit from believers eager for a cultural experience." Could you convince me that subscribing to Filmana is advantageous not only for me? What will it bring me?
We see Filmana as a community project - when we all contribute together with small amounts, we can build something great and valuable together. The monthly subscription price is less than the cost of a single cinema ticket.
No project works without money, no parish, no community. We cannot view finances as a necessary evil, but rather as the blood that flows and brings life and energy when handled correctly.
But the reason our service is monetized is actually much simpler - distributors would not allow us to screen films online for free, so our entire project could not exist without a subscription model. Moreover, we all know - that which is free is worth nothing! :)
When the donation campaign for the operation of Filmana began on the Donace website, the project description stated, among other things, that behind Filmana is a team of believing filmmakers. If this is not too personal a question for you – what does faith and God mean to you in your current life, in the modern world, and in your personal life?
Faith should not be just a personal - internal matter. It should shine outward from us! We live on a street where we are the only believers. But everyone knows that we go to church on Sundays and do not work. In that, I feel it's important to be consistent even in these external expressions.
And for me personally - I never went through any rebellion in my teenage years. I took faith as a natural part of life, inherited from my parents. And the fact that we launched Filmana is a significant school of faith for me, and I believe it pushes me further. And the current world? It needs faith; it just lost contact with it, and our task is not to close ourselves off and to proclaim it further. But no one really knows how. My recipe is twofold - personal testimony through being who I am and then testimony through the films we will be making and broadcasting in the near future, where seekers are - at their TVs, in theaters, on social media.
Would you be able to recommend treasures to our readers, reasons to subscribe to Filmana?
Uff, we believe that thanks to all of them, it’s worth it :) We strive to keep our offering as broad as possible so that everyone can find what suits them. Moreover, especially in these months, the offering is growing every week with several new titles, so it's not exactly easy for me to pick favorites. What I must mention are three diverse American films from the studio behind The Chosen series. These films have their Czech-Slovak premiere with us. There is the docudrama "Beyond Death," which deals with the question of clinical death and what comes after. It features people who have experienced it themselves, along with scientists and doctors. Then there is the film "The Shift," which parallels the story of Job and is of the sci-fi genre - definitely atypical for the Christian environment :) And last but not least, the film "The Only Son," telling the story of the Old Testament Abraham and his son Isaac. Besides these, from lighter genres, there is the French comedy "Chance to Win" or the well-known Christmas story from World War I "Happy and Merry" about celebrating Midnight Mass on the battlefield with enemies. In addition to feature films, we also have many shorter formats for those who have less time.
Our yearbook is published in December, during the Advent season of anticipation. Do you have a message, message, or strength for our readers for the Advent period?
I don't feel entirely called to preach, so just from my personal experience - our churches, society, the state - they need active people. Too often we are bound by fear, our seemingly certain things, from which it is good to step out. I resonate with the idea that we will account not only for what we have done, but the Lord God will count all the good deeds we could have done and did not.
I also constantly struggle with the tendency to do everything on my own, with my reason, and leave little room for the Lord God to enter into work situations. But I try to seek His signs in what is happening around me. So my message is not to be afraid (after all, the expression "do not be afraid" is in the Bible 365 times) and to do good things, projects, whether they are small or large! You will certainly have fear, uncertainties, and worries in the process. But with God's blessing, we can overcome them!
The interview was conducted and prepared for the yearbook of the Plzen Diocese of CČSH by Amaya Sardá.