Christian Film Database

ChristianFilmDatabase.com, LLC (CFDb) was an online database of Christian films and their associated information. It was designed to be a Christian version of the Internet Movie Database.

ChristianFilmDatabase.com (CFDb)
Type of site
An online database of Christian films on Blu-ray, DVD, VHS, 16mm, video-on-demand and those coming to Theaters.
Available inEnglish
HeadquartersDawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada
OwnerDesiree & Bryce Wisekal
Created byAnnelie Rudlaff and Roger Rudlaff
URLChristianFilmDatabase.com
AdvertisingWeb banners, Blog spot, News Letter Positions, Email And Social Media Networking
CommercialYes
RegistrationRegistration is optional for members to leave comments and ratings films.
Launched2008 with Ramp up in 2010
Current statusInactive

History of the CFDb website

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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 2021 the site is undergoing major renovations and is currently[when?] down.

Criteria for inclusion

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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

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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)

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In December 2012, the CFDb released its list of the top 100 Christian films for 2012.[10][11]

Top 30 of 100 films

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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

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  1. ^ Toto, Christian (January 27, 2010). "Pressing On". Boxoffice. Archived from the original on January 30, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Podger, Pamela J. (March 29, 2007). "Faith-based video lending libraries on increase". The Roanoke Times. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  3. ^ Vaught, Lance (March 11, 2012). "Cruciflicks Partners With CFDb". [Cruciflicks]. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Chavez, Fernando (March 13, 2013). "CFDb, Christian Film Database And Crowdfunding Website, FaithLauncher Form Strategic Alliance". FaithLauncher. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  6. ^ "Christian Movies All in One Place, Easy to Find! CFDb!". www.christianfilmdatabase.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Biddinger, J.J. (January 1, 2010). "Interview with Roger Rudlaff of the Christian Film Database". Blogcritics. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  9. ^ Walker, Angela (January 8, 2010). "Video Ministry Becomes Christian Film Database". ChristianCinema.com. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Rudlaff, Annelie (January 18, 2013). "Christian Film Database Releases Top 100 Films of 2012". Christian News Wire (Press release). Retrieved January 19, 2013.
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