How was this Catholic filmmaker nominated for an Oscar without compromising his faith?
In this episode of The Catholic Gentleman, John Heinen sits down with Timothy Reckart, an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and father of four who is courageously changing the entertainment industry with high-quality, faith-friendly storytelling!
1. Hollywood Intentionally Targets Children
Tim says he gained exclusive insights into how the film industry targets children today. Movies meant for kids are now instead being used to deliver heavy ideological messaging. These moments left him asking: “Why is this in here? This is not what my kids are thinking about. They need to hear stories about loyalty, being courageous and facing your fears.” This inspired him to launch Sycamore Studios to create films that families can enjoy and trust!
2. Catholic Storytelling Changes Everything
Known for the beloved animated film ‘The Star,’ Tim says storytelling rooted in Catholic truth is incredibly powerful. “The Star allowed us to do something fresh and original that people hadn’t seen before with a nice comedy flavor to it, without touching the heart of the Nativity story.” He says his vision for filmmaking is to offer a bold alternative to the moral confusion found in mainstream media by delivering the faith in a creative way.
3. Catholics Can Thrive in Hollywood
Despite being fearful at first about openly living his faith in Hollywood, Tim discovered the opposite was true: being authentic opened more doors than it closed. “I went into Hollywood thinking that my faith was going to be a liability, but here I was, my first directing movie that I got because I was a faithful Christian.” He says his inspiring journey shows that Catholics can—and should—live their faith while pursuing their passions in secular industries!
The gentleman say that reclaiming storytelling for the good will inspire families, strengthen virtue and help us raise saints.
Watch the full episode below! 👇
Saint Veronica, patron of filmmakers, pray for us! 🙏
Credit: George Ryan via ChurchPOP
