Christian Film Database
ChristianFilmDatabase.com, LLC (CFDb) is an online database of Christian films and their associated information. It was designed to be a Christian version of the Internet Movie Database.
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Type of site | An online database of Christian films on Blu-ray, DVD, VHS, 16mm, video-on-demand and those coming to Theaters. |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Headquarters | Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada |
| Owner | Desiree & Bryce Wisekal |
| Created by | Annelie Rudlaff and Roger Rudlaff |
| URL | ChristianFilmDatabase.com |
| Advertising | Web banners, Blog spot, News Letter Positions, Email And Social Media Networking |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Registration is optional for members to leave comments and ratings films. |
| Launched | 2008 with Ramp up in 2010 |
| Current status | Active |
History of the CFDb website
CFDb was founded in 2008 by Roger Rudlaff [1] who had previously created "The Wayhouse Christian Film Library", a library that lent Christian movies to the public.[2] He and his wife Annelie Rudlaff started "The Wayhouse Christian Film Library" in 2001 by loaning out Christian books and VHS movies in Buena Vista, Colorado out of their home and showing a few films to the public in their town's chamber of commerce building. They later moved to Roanoke, Virginia, where they re-opened in 2006.[2] While the Rudlaffs were running this lending library, Roger Rudlaff had difficulty finding certain Christian films, because the different films he searched for were scattered on many different websites. He started a specialist Christian films website called CFDb, after doing some research on IMDb. He was unable to claim the title of CMDb, because that domain name was taken by another Christian music website. He registered the CFDb domain name in 2008 and on Feb. 25 2011, the company became a LLC.
The database includes information on the films such as release date, running time, MPAA rating, formats, film director, film producer, screenwriter, film score composer, cinematographer, language and subtitles, film production company, film distribution company, cast, film trailer, film website, Facebook page, Twitter page, movie reviews, contact info, and synopsis.
In March 2012 the company made informal agreements with "Cruciflicks" and with "Indy Christian Review" for sharing Christian movie review content.[3] In May 2012, CFDb signed an exclusive deal with Christian Book Distributors to sell the films listed on CFDb via Christian Book Distributors' website.[4]
On March 13, 2013 CFDb and the crowdfunding website FaithLauncher announced a strategic alliance.[5]
As of March 2020 the site is undergoing major renovations and is currently down.
Criteria for inclusion
According to their website, the CFDb states that they are a non-denominational list of what they call "Christian films" and that "We list all films with a Christian message, it does not matter who makes it."[6]
The CFDb states that two of their criteria for being a Christian film are: 1. "The film must show a need for God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit in some way." 2. "The film is marketed to the Christian Community, therefore Christians will be searching for it on the database." [7]
Number of films
On January 1, 2010, there were approximately 1,250 films listed on CFDb, with more added weekly.[8] Rudlaff said, "I list films in many formats, like 16mm, VHS, DVD, and now Blu-ray and (VOD) Video on Demand" [9] As of January 2013, CFDb had over 1600 films listed, some of which have multiple film titles listed on one page as a series: these are counted as a single film.
Rankings (CFDb's top 100)
In December 2012, the CFDb released its list of the top 100 Christian films for 2012.[10][11]
Top 30 of 100 films
| Rank | Film | Page views |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | October Baby | 23,722 |
| 2. | The Encounter | 21,983 |
| 3. | Love’s Christmas Journey (Love Comes Softly Series) | 17,219 |
| 4. | The Encounter 2: Paradise Lost | 14,461 |
| 5. | Heaven is Waiting | 10,386 |
| 6. | Last Ounce of Courage | 9366 |
| 7. | Amazing Love:The Story of Hosea | 9105 |
| 8. | For Greater Glory:The True Story of Cristiada | 8983 |
| 9. | I Am Gabriel | 8428 |
| 10. | Love’s Everlasting Courage (Love Comes Softly Series) | 7983 |
| 11. | Loving the Bad Man | 7659 |
| 12. | Church Girl | 7462 |
| 13. | El Gran Milagro (The Greatest Miracle) | 6492 |
| 14. | Marriage Retreat | 6434 |
| 15. | The Mark | 6387 |
| 16. | Hardflip | 6078 |
| 17. | Jerusalem Countdown (film) | 5868 |
| 18. | Me Again | 5664 |
| 19. | Unconditional (film) | 5582 |
| 20. | Escape | 5557 |
| 21. | The Wylds (The Adventures of Chris Fable) | 5058 |
| 22. | New Hope | 4800 |
| 23. | Monumental: In Search of America's National Treasure | 4692 |
| 24. | Thousand Pieces:The Nicky Cruz Story (Run Baby Run) | 4349 |
| 25. | Left Behind: The Remake | 4281 |
| 26. | The Shunning | 4264 |
| 27. | A Mile in His Shoes | 4237 |
| 28. | The Confession | 3681 |
| 29. | Apostle Peter and the Last Supper | 3672 |
| 30. | Nefarious: Merchant of Souls | 3635 |
References
- Toto, Christian (January 27, 2010). "Pressing On". Boxoffice. Archived from the original on January 30, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- Podger, Pamela J. (March 29, 2007). "Faith-based video lending libraries on increase". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- Vaught, Lance (March 11, 2012). "Cruciflicks Partners With CFDb". [Cruciflicks]. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
- Rudlaff, Annelie (May 2012). "CFDb makes exclusive deal with Christian Book Distributors". [CFDb blog]. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
- Chavez, Fernando (March 13, 2013). "CFDb, Christian Film Database And Crowdfunding Website, FaithLauncher Form Strategic Alliance". FaithLauncher. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
- "Christian Movies All in One Place, Easy to Find! CFDb!". www.christianfilmdatabase.com. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- Rudlaff, Annelie (October 9, 2012). "CFDb Guidelines: What films get posted to CFDb". Christian Film Database. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
- Biddinger, J.J. (January 1, 2010). "Interview with Roger Rudlaff of the Christian Film Database". Blogcritics. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- Walker, Angela (January 8, 2010). "Video Ministry Becomes Christian Film Database". ChristianCinema.com. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- Wolf, Susan (January 1, 2013). "Christian Film Database makes Cover Story Christian Filmworks Magazine January 2013 issue". Christian Filmworks Magazine. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- Rudlaff, Annelie (January 18, 2013). "Christian Film Database Releases Top 100 Films of 2012". Christian News Wire. Retrieved January 19, 2013.