Protestant Film Commission
| Successor | Broadcasting and Film Commission of the National Council of Churches of Christ |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1945 |
| Dissolved | 1966 |
| Purpose | Production and distribution of religious films Consulting agency for Hollywood filmmakers |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Locations |
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Executive director | Paul F. Heard |
The Protestant Film Commission, also known as the Protestant Film Office, was an American independent film agency which promoted Protestant religious and moral values in Hollywood cinema. Representing 200,000 American Protestant churches with approximately 34 million members, the Commission was founded in 1945 as a consulting agency for Hollywood film scripts and also provided reviews and ratings for general-market Hollywood films.
Between 1947 and 1955, the Commission produced a series of religious short films and documentaries. These films were distributed to some 30,000 churches as well as schools, clubs, conferences, factories, prisons, and domestic relations courts. Though most of the films were not released commercially, they received positive reviews in the general press for their human-interest stories and dramatic quality. In 1950, the Protestant Film Commission merged with the Protestant Radio Commission to form the Broadcasting and Film Commission (BFC) of the National Council of Churches of Christ, but continued its operations as the de facto West Coast headquarters of the BFC. It ceased operations in 1966.