Rick Santorum on Christian cinema and why he wants to raise the bar: 'We must make an impact in popular culture'

Carrie Dedrick | Updated: Jun 09, 2014

Rick Santorum on Christian cinema and why he wants to raise the bar: 'We must make an impact in popular culture'

Republican political Rick Santorum has adopted a new role running EchoLight Studios, a film studio that focuses solely on Christian audiences. Santorum, who competed against Mitt Romney in the Republican Primary in 2012, said that there is a connection between politics and the movie industry.

“Popular culture has an impact on the government, on culture and the direction that policies take. As a moviegoer who appreciates good quality are and entertainment, it’s always been an interest of mine to see that impact,” Santorum said.

According to Christian Today, Santorum was asked by a friend in the entertainment industry to fill the position making movies “consistent with the guiding principles of our country -- in particular, portraying faith in an authentic way to movie-going audiences.”

“That had a really great appeal to me, to make movies based on universal truths and that deal with faith in a way that is more representative of how it actually affects people and their lives, as opposed to the contrivance born of other, Hollywood, films,” Santorum said. 

One of EchoLight’s first movies, “Hoovey,” will debut next year. The studio plans to premiere its films in churches, as a way to gather Christians together.

“We want the Church to be the centre of culture, which it has been missing...We’re about enabling the Church to do what it was designed to do -- to be salt and light.”

Publication date: June 9, 2014



Rick Santorum on Christian cinema and why he wants to raise the bar: 'We must make an impact in popular culture'