Beliefnet is proud to recognize the films and filmmakers whose work is of the highest quality while also being imbued with significant spiritual and inspirational themes.
The Panel of Judges
Dilshad Ali is Beliefnet's former Islam editor and current contributor.
Sara Shereen Bakhshian is an editor, reporter, and writer covering religion, the entertainment industry, health care, the environment, culture, business and other topical issues for newspapers, magazines, online publications and radio.
Rebecca Cusey is an entertainment reporter.
Patton Dodd is the Christianity editor at Beliefnet.
Jenny Halper is the film editor of Spare Change News, a Cambridge bi-monthly dedicated to empowering the homeless. Her writing has appeared in the Boston Phoenix, NewEnglandFilm.com, BostonNow, amNewYork, 24/7, Beliefnet, and Park Slope Reader, among other outlets.
Douglas Howe is a speaker/author and contributor to Beliefnet's Idol Chatter blog, and studied Theology in Film at Fuller Seminary. He owns The HOWe Team, which provides leadership development solutions to executives and professionals around the country.
Michael Kress is the Managing editor & VP of Editorial at Beliefnet.
Ellen Leventry is a longtime Beliefnet writer/editor and contributor to Idol Chatter.
Nell Minow is Beliefnet's "Movie Mom" and reviews movies each week on radio stations across the country.
Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP, MEd in Media Studies, is the film/TV columnist for St. Anthony Messenger and has been a member of ecumenical and Catholic juries at Berlin, Venice, and Locarno, as well as the Newport Film Festival (short films).
Kris Rasmussen is the author of "WonkaMania," has been a contributing editor to the Christian music magazine CCM and a feature writer for Relevant magazine.
Dena Ross is Beliefnet's Entertainment editor.
The Process
For each category, we will be naming two winners: The Judges' Award, named by vote of our panelists, and The People's Award, named by vote of the Beliefnet community.
How the Judges' Award works: For each category, judges cast votes for first, second, and third place. To tally the votes, five points are assigned to first-place votes, three points to second-place votes, and one point for third-place votes. A single winner in each category, the nominee with the highest total points, is then named.
