Latter-day Saint Filmmaking:
The Checklist

This isn't a list of movies to buy or watch. It is a list of possible films, some of which already exist, some of which do not.

The Checklist lists major "milestones" in filmmaking, and shows who first accomplished those achievements.

This page also highlights a variety of "famous firsts," as well as some "firsts" that are not so famous.

Latter-day Saints and/or Utahns have played a major role in the history of motion pictures almost since the beginning of the medium. For example, the first feature length documentary ever made was about Latter-day Saints: Norval MacGregor's "One Hundred Years of Mormonism" was an objective documentary made by a non-LDS filmmaker that was shown in theaters around the nation in 1913. (This was nine years before the release of Robert J. Flaherty's "Nanook of the North," which some people mistakenly think was the first feature documentary.)

Also, even some film buffs may not be aware that the first person ever to win the Academy Award for Best Director was a native of Utah: Frank Borzage. He won the award for "Seventh Heaven" (1927). Borzage was born in Salt Lake City in 1893 and grew up there before becoming one of early Hollywood's most successful directors. He won a second Best Director Academy Award for Bad Girl (1931), and was one of the fifteen founding members of the Directors Guild of America.

One of the greatest screen legends of the silent film era was John Gilbert, a native of Logan, Utah. Gilbert was the first actor to negotiate a contract for over a million dollars. Gilbert is ranked by the "Film 100" list as the 28th most influential person in the history of film, just ahead of John Ford, William Fox, and George Lucas.

Borzage was Catholic, and Gilbert was a Mormon but wasn't a practicing Church member, but many of Hollywood's pioneers and innovators have been active Latter-day Saints. Marie Windsor, for example, was a Latter-day Saint and a graduate of Brigham Young University. She was cast as the female lead in Stanley Kubrick's very first studio-financed film, "The Killing" (1956). She also founded the Screen Actors Guild Film Society.

Some "firsts" are more recent, such as the first film to make $100 million in just five days: "Lost World: Jurassic Park II," produced by Latter-day Saint filmmaking legend Gerald R. Molen. This movie held the "best single-weekend box office" record for a number of years (until November 2001 when "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" topped it).

Latter-day Saints such as Kieth Merrill and Canadian filmmaker Colin Low made more important contributions to the development of large-format IMAX filmmaking than can be listed here. Merrill's Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets, for example, was the first film inducted into the IMAX Hall of Fame, and is the most successful documentary of all time (over $100 million in box office sales worldwide). It is also one of the 25 most successful independent films in history, of any genre, as is Latter-day Saint director Bruce Neibaur's Mysteries of Egypt.

The checklist below, however, is focused not on film history as a whole, but specifically on films by and about Latter-day Saints. Also, the focus is mostly on feature-length, theatrically screened films.

Our data on this subject may have gaps. Please write us with suggestions, corrections, etc.


First Latter-day Saints: Academy Awards in Various Categories

First Latter-day Saint Producer to WIN the BEST PICTURE Academy Award:
Gerald R. Molen, "Schindler's List", 1993

First Mormon DIRECTOR Nominated for an Academy Award:
Joseph M. Newman, a native of Logan, Utah was twice nominated for an Academy Award in the "Best Second Unit Director" category: for "San Francisco" in 1936 and "David Copperfield" in 1935. This category was short-lived.

First Latter-day Saint to WIN the BEST DIRECTOR Academy Award:
NONE


First Latter-day Saint NOMINATED for BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY Academy Award:
Colin Low, "Universe", 1960

First Latter-day Saint to WIN the BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY Academy Award:
Kieth Merrill, "The Great American Cowboy", 1973

First Latter-day Saint NOMINATED for BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY Academy Award:
Kieth Merrill, "Amazon", 1997
[Interestingly enough, Latter-day Saint writer/producer Michael McNulty's film "Waco: Rules of Engagement" was nominated for an Academy Award in the same year, but did not compete with "Amazon" because it was in the feature length category.]

First Latter-day Saint to WIN the BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY Academy Award:
NONE




First Latter-day Saint NOMINATED for BEST SCREENPLAY Academy Award:
Waldemar Young, "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer", 1935

First Latter-day Saint to WIN the BEST SCREENPLAY Academy Award:
NONE


First Latter-day Saint NOMINATED for BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM Academy Award:
Colin Low, "My Financial Career", 1962

First Latter-day Saint to WIN the BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM Academy Award:
NONE


First Latter-day Saint NOMINATED for BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Academy Award:
Dean Jagger, "Twelve O'Clock High", 1949

First Latter-day Saint to WIN the BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Academy Award:
Dean Jagger, "Twelve O'Clock High", 1949

First Latter-day Saint NOMINATED for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Academy Award:
Terry Moore, "Come Back, Little Sheba", 1952

First Latter-day Saint to WIN the BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Academy Award:
NONE

First Latter-day Saint NOMINATED for BEST ACTOR Academy Award:
NONE
[Note: James Woods, a native of Vernal, Utah, received a Best Actor nomination for "Salvador" (1986), but he is not a Latter-day Saint.]

First Latter-day Saint NOMINATED for BEST ACTRESS Academy Award:
NONE

First Academy Award for portraying a MORMON CHARACTER:
Mary Steenburgen (a non-LDS actress) received the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for playing "Lynda Dummar" in "Melvin and Howard" (1980).
[NOTE: In 1971 Paul Newman received the Best Actor Award at the British Academy Awards (BAFTA) for playing the Mormon outlaw Butch Cassidy in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969).]


First Mormon NOMINATED for BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Academy Award:
Charles Lang, "The Right to Love", 1930

First Mormon to WIN the BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Academy Award:
Charles Lang, "A Farewell to Arms", 1932


First Mormon NOMINATED for BEST MUSICAL SCORE Academy Award:
Leigh Harline, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", 1937

First Mormon to WIN the BEST MUSICAL SCORE Academy Award:
Leigh Harline, "Pinocchio", 1940

First Mormon NOMINATED for BEST SONG Academy Award:
Leigh Harline, "Pinocchio", 1940: "When You Wish Upon a Star"

First Mormon to WIN the BEST SONG Academy Award:
Leigh Harline, "Pinocchio", 1940: "When You Wish Upon a Star"


First Mormon NOMINATED for BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Academy Award:
Gordon Jennings, "Union Pacific", 1939

First Mormon to WIN the BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Academy Award:
Gordon Jennings, "I Wanted Wings", 1941

Genre and Plot Firsts in LDS Films

We are still in the process of deciding where "Goin' Coconuts" (1977), "The Great Brain" (1978), and "Brigham Young: Frontiersman" (1940, based on the novel Children of God by Mormon writer Vardis Fisher) fit on this page.

First Feature Documentary About Latter-day Saints:
Norval MacGregor's "One Hundred Years of Mormonism", 1913


The term "LDS Movies", as used below, refers to commercially screened feature length films made by Latter-day Saint filmmakers about Latter-day Saint characters. Note that in many cases, there are earlier films which match a description below, but which were not commercially screened feature length films made by Latter-day Saint filmmakers. "Saturday's Warrior," for example, is certainly a musical, but is not listed under "LDS Movie MUSICAL", because it was a direct-to-video production.

First "LDS Movie" (Commercially Shown Feature Film Made by LDS Filmmakers, about LDS Characters):
"God's Army" (2000), written, produced, and directed by Richard Dutcher

First LDS Movie to Feature a Majority LDS CAST:
"Brigham City" (2001), written, produced, and directed by Richard Dutcher

First LDS Movie to cast a "NAME ACTOR":
"Brigham City" (2001), featuring Wilford Brimley in the 3rd billed role

First LDS Movie to cast an "A-LIST ACTOR"::
"Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith" (2003), directed by Richard Dutcher

First LDS Movie to feature CAMEO APPEARANCES of well-known celebrities::
"The Singles Ward" (2002), directed by Kurt Hale

First LDS Movie in the MYSTERY/SUSPENSE genre:
"Brigham City" (2001)

First LDS Movie to be classified as QUASI-FILM NOIR:
"Brigham City" (2001)

First LDS Movie to be a done in true FILM NOIR style:
NONE

First LDS Movie based on PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED MATERIAL:
"The Other Side of Heaven" (2001), based on the published memoirs of John H. Groberg, In the Eye of the Storm

First LDS Movie based on a NOVEL:
"Charly" (2002), based on the novel by Jack Weyland, directed by Adam Anderegg

First LDS Movie based on a PLAY:
"The Best Two Years" (2003), based on the play "The Best Two Years of My Life" by Scott S. Anderson

First LDS Movie based on a SCRIPTURE:
"The Book of Mormon Movie, Vol. 1: The Journey" (2003), based on 1st and 2nd Nephi from the Book of Mormon

First NON-FICTION LDS Movie:
"The Other Side of Heaven" (2001), directed by Mitch Davis

First LDS Movie set in a HISTORICAL TIME PERIOD:
"The Other Side of Heaven" (2001), recounting events from the 1950s

First LDS Movie in the COMEDY genre:
"The Singles Ward" (2002), directed by Kurt Hale

First LDS Movie in the ROMANCE genre:
"The Singles Ward" (2002), a romantic comedy

First LDS Movie in the ROMANCE genre (non-comedy):
"Out of Step" (2002), produced by Cary Derbidge, directed by Ryan Little

First LDS Movie in the WESTERN genre:
NONE

First LDS Movie about the Mormon PIONEERS:
"Handcart" (2002), directed by Kels Goodman

First LDS Movie MUSICAL:
NONE

First LDS Movie in the ACTION genre:
NONE

First LDS Movie in the WAR genre:
"Saints and Soldiers" (2003), directed by Ryan Little

First LDS Movie in the LEGAL DRAMA genre:
"Day of Defense" (2003), directed by Adam Lawson

First LDS Movie in the HORROR genre:
NONE

First ANIMATED LDS Movie:
NONE

First LDS Movie in the MARTIAL ARTS genre:
NONE

First LDS Movie to be a SPOOF OF LDS MOVIES:
The Work and the Story (2003), directed by Nathan Smith Jones

First LDS Movie in the SCIENCE FICTION genre:
"Plan 10 from Outer Space" (1994), directed by Trent Harris
[Strictly speaking, this film is not part of the "LDS Movie" genre, although it was made by a Latter-day Saint (non-practicing) and is about LDS characters. This film was screened theatrically in Utah -- perhaps only in the Tower Theater, and was not widely distributed. It's target audience was not necessarily Latter-day Saints.]

First LDS Movie SET OUTSIDE OF UTAH:
"God's Army" (2000)

First LDS Movie SET IN UTAH:
"Brigham City" (2001)

First LDS Movie SET ON THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES:
"Out of Step" (2002)

First LDS Movie SET OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES:
"The Other Side of Heaven" (2001)

First LDS Movie SET IN EUROPE:
"The Best Two Years" (2003), directed by Scott S. Anderson

First LDS Movie SET IN ASIA:
NONE

First LDS Movie SET IN LATIN AMERICA:
NONE

First LDS Movie SET IN LATIN AFRICA:
NONE

First FOREIGN LANGUAGE LDS Movie:
NONE

First LDS Movie in which the MAIN CHARACTER IS FEMALE:
"Out of Step" (2002): "Jenny Thomas", played by Alison Akin Clark

First LDS Movie featuring a PROMINENT BLACK CHARACTER:
"God's Army" (2000): "Elder Banks", played by DeSean Terry

First LDS Movie featuring a BLACK ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE:
"Suddenly Unexpected" (2003): "Elder Jones", played by Jerald Garner

First LDS Movie PRIMARILY ABOUT BLACK CHARACTER(S):
NONE

First LDS Movie featuring a PROMINENT HISPANIC CHARACTER:
"God's Army" (2000): "Elder Sandoval", played by Luis Robledo

First LDS Movie PRIMARILY ABOUT HISPANIC CHARACTER(S):
NONE

First LDS Movie featuring a HISPANIC ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE:
NONE

First LDS Movie featuring a PROMINENT ASIAN CHARACTER:
"God's Army" (2000): "Benny", played by Doug Stewart

First LDS Movie featuring an ASIAN ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE:
"Suddenly Unexpected" (2003): "The Daughter", played by Junie Hoang

First LDS Movie PRIMARILY ABOUT ASIAN CHARACTER(S):
NONE

First LDS Movie featuring a POLYNESIAN ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE:
"The Other Side of Heaven" (2001): "Feki", played by Joe Folau

First LDS Movie PRIMARILY ABOUT POLYNESIAN CHARACTER(S):
"The Other Side of Heaven" (2001), about John H. Groberg's mission in Tonga

First LDS Movie PRIMARILY ABOUT GLBT CHARACTER(S):
NONE

First LDS Movie PRIMARILY ABOUT DEAF CHARACTER(S):
NONE

First LDS Movie PRIMARILY ABOUT NON-LDS CHARACTER(S):
"Day of Defense" (2003)

First LDS Movie PRIMARILY ABOUT ELDERLY CHARACTER(S):
NONE

First LDS Movie PRIMARILY ABOUT CHILDREN:
NONE

First LDS Movie PRIMARILY ABOUT TEENAGERS (pre-missionary age):
NONE

First LDS Movie to show a Priesthood ORDINANCE:
"God's Army" (2000): a baptism and a blessing for healing

First LDS Movie to show a SACRAMENT MEETING (LDS church service):
"Brigham City" (2002)

First LDS Movie to show the OUTSIDE OF A TEMPLE:
"The Singles Ward" (2002) - Salt Lake Temple

First LDS Movie to feature a Latter-day Saint PROPHET as a character:
"Handcart" (2002) - Brigham Young is a minor character

First LDS Movie to be RATED G:
NONE

First LDS Movie to be RATED PG:
"God's Army" (2000)

First LDS Movie to be RATED PG-13:
"Brigham City" (2001)

First LDS Movie to be RATED R:
NONE

Web page created 19 December 2001. Last modified 8 October 2003.