A documentary chronicling the production of a five-night dramatic sequel performed during the Forever Faithful Camporee in Oshkosh, Wis., received recognition from Christian film festivals.
“The Making of Daniel” picked up three awards: Award of Excellence from Inspired Faith Festival; third place documentary winner from Christian Family Festival; and a nomination for Most Creative Documentary by the International Christian Film Festival (ICFF), where only 20 out of 800 submissions were selected.
“It’s an honor,” said Michelle Hamel, a first-time filmmaker who shot 100 hours of backstage video at the International Pathfinder Camporee four years ago and spent several months editing it into a compelling story. “It’s exciting to be recognized and exciting that many people who may not be Adventists are able to see the film.”
Surprisingly, the documentary now being shown before large Christian crowds began as a promotional shoot. “I went over to get some footage, and thought it would be really cool to follow the cast and crew as they rehearsed, did costuming, and turn it into a full documentary,” said Hamel.
Oshkosh organizer and Lake Union Youth director, Ron Whitehead, concurred and thought it would be great to show people what made the play so special. “That is, all the young adults, actors, directors, and all the hard work ahead of time that goes into it,” he said.
“The Making of Daniel” runs 1 hour 34 minutes and is available on YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Vimeo. It is dedicated to Brian Robak, who played Nebuchadnezzar during the play but died in a hiking accident two summers ago.
For more info on the documentary, please visit: makingofdaniel.com
