A LOCAL filmmaker has won an award at an American media conference.
Newcastle resident Campbell Miller was the director, editor and co-writer of ‘Faith of Our Fathers’, a film that came out in 2023 as an original movie for the American television channel EWTN, a channel which features a variety of Catholic-themed programming.
‘Faith of Our Fathers’ was the winner of the Feature Film category at the 58th Gabriel Awards this summer.
The National Catholic Media Association gave out the Gabriel Awards as part of the National Catholic Media Conference, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, at the end of June this year. Other awards given out at the ceremony went to major broadcasters such as CBS News and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
“I am deeply honoured and humbled to win first place at the Gabriel Awards in Atlanta, Georgia for ‘Faith of Our Fathers’,” Campbell said.
“This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all the cast and crew. Our aim was to create a film that not only entertains but also inspires and uplifts, and this award reaffirms our belief in the power of faith and storytelling.
“I extend my deepest gratitude to all of the EWTN producers in the US who believed in our vision and embraced the powerful message of the film,” he said.
“The ‘Faith of our Fathers’ film tells the story of a Catholic priest defending the faith against the 18th century English penal laws, and the determination of the Irish community to protect him in the face of unrelenting persecution,” Campbell said.
Much of the movie was filmed in County Down, with the grounds of Dromantine Conference Centre near Newry serving as the main setting for the production of the film. Some of the actors in the film include Kerri Quinn, known for her role on ‘Hope Street’ and ‘Coronation Street’, and Nigel O’Neill, who starred in the movie ‘Boys From County Hell’.
Campbell said that ‘Faith of Our Fathers’, which is now available to watch on Amazon Prime, has been well received by viewers.
“The whole team behind the film are truly thankful for the overwhelming response to our film since being picked up by Amazon and it’s a great testament to the support in Irish-based filmmaking,” he said.
Some of the other films he has directed include ‘Bravery Under Fire’, about a World War One chaplain, ‘Hope’, about those who witnessed an apparition at Knock in 1879, and ‘Speak of the Devil’, which is a retelling of the Bible story of the Prodigal Son.
Many of these had scenes filmed locally in County Down as well as other parts of the island of Ireland.
Campbell already has plans for a new film to be based around the life of St Patrick.
“I’m currently working on a new film on St Patrick which will be filmed in 2025 in and around County Down.
“It will tell his story from the moment he was captured by Irish raiders in Roman Britain to become one of the most celebrated saints in the world,” Campbell said.
Campbell, who grew up in Newcastle, is also the chairman of the Newcastle Harbour Heritage Association. He and his wife Kristi have two sons.
