T. C. Christensen | |
---|---|
Born | 1953 (age 70–71) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
Alma mater | Brigham Young University |
Occupation | Filmmaker |
Years active | 1973–present |
Notable work |
Thomas C. Christensen (born 1953) is an American cinematographer, film director, and writer best known for his work on films related to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), including Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration , Gordon B. Hinckley: A Giant Among Men, 17 Miracles , and Ephraim's Rescue . He has made films about the Martin and Willie handcart companies who traversed the plains toward the Salt Lake Valley in late 1856. Christensen is also a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.
Christensen grew up in Layton, Utah, with nine siblings. He served as a missionary for the LDS Church in Ohio and West Virginia from 1972 to 1974. He studied filmmaking at Brigham Young University (BYU) and the University of Utah (U of U). [1]
Christensen married his wife, Katy, in 1980. They have two children, Tanner and Tess, both of whom have worked with Christensen on his films. His cousin Ron Tanner has also collaborated with Christensen on his films. [1]
While attending BYU and the U of U, Christensen worked as a part-time cameraman for KSL-TV in Utah for five years. He declined offers to go full-time because he did not want to pursue a career in news. [1] After leaving KSL-TV, Christensen began freelance filmmaking. He credits fellow filmmaker Kieth Merrill as his mentor, with Merrill's children cast in Christensen's The Mouth of Babes. [1]
Films by Christensen have received recognition in several film festivals. His A Pioneer Miracle (also titled In the Arms of Angels) received the Grand Remi Award at the Houston International Film Festival in 2004. [2] [3] Seasons of the Heart , for which he was both director and cinematographer, received multiple awards in film festivals. [4] Christensen has made several films about Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement (Mormonism). [5] Among these are Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration and Emma Smith: My Story , both made in cooperation with Gary Cook. [6] Other Latter-day Saint-themed films include the biography of LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley, made following Hinckley's death in 2008. [7] Christensen wrote, directed, and produced Only A Stonecutter , the story of John R. Moyle, father of James H. Moyle. [8] Christensen has also been the cinematographer for a large number of films. These include Rigoletto , The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd , Forever Strong , and Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy . [9] [8] Having collaborated over the years, T. C. Christensen has been described as the "mentor" of Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre director Jared Hess. [10]
On such films as the first Work and the Glory , Christensen's cinematography was considered by some to be by far the best part of the film. [11] Christensen has also made several IMAX films including Texas: The Big Picture and Ozarks: Legacy and Legend. [12] In the summer of 2011, 17 Miracles was released across the country. The film depicts the Martin and Willie handcart companies as they traveled across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley in 1856. [13] [14] In 2013, Christensen's film Ephraim's Rescue about the life of Ephraim Hanks, a notable rescuer of the Martin Handcart Company, was released to good user reviews, and specifically the addressed events of Hanks bringing the first food supplies to the company, who were snow-bound and starving on the Mormon Trail. [15] [16] In 2015, Christensen wrote and directed The Cokeville Miracle which tells the story of the school bombing in Cokeville, Wyoming, in 1986. [17] [18] In 2016, Christensen began working on Love, Kennedy. It is based on the true story of Ogden, Utah, teenager Kennedy Hansen's battle with Juvenile Batten Disease. The film was released in June 2017. [19] [20]
Christensen is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers. [21]
All credits come from Internet Movie Database (IMDb). [22]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1973 | Wheels of Fire | Cinematographer & editor | Documentary |
1978 | The Bridge | Cinematographer | Short film, credited as Thomas R. Christensen |
1979 | Kenny Rogers and the American Cowboy | Cinematographer | Television film |
1982 | The Ghost of the Great Salt Lake | Director | |
1987 | The Touch of the Master's Hand | Director | Short film, credited as Tom Christensen |
1988 | On Our Own | Cinematographer & actor | Television film |
1990 | Quest for a Go-Getter | Director of photography | Video short |
1991 | Dream Machine | Cinematographer | |
1991 | In Your Wildest Dreams | Cinematographer | |
1992 | The ButterCream Gang | Cinematographer | Video |
1992 | Split Infinity | Cinematographer | |
1992 | On the Way Home | Cinematographer | Video short |
1993 | Rigoletto | Cinematographer | Video |
1993 | Seasons of the Heart | Cinematographer | |
1995 | Fedora | Cinematographer | Short |
1995 | Reach for the Stars | Director of photography | |
1995 | The Dark Knight | Cinematographer | Short |
1995 | Ozarks: Legacy & Legend | Cinematographer | |
1995 | San Francisco: The Movie | Cinematography | Short |
1995 | Valencia, Spain | Cinematographer | |
1996 | Treasure Chest | Cinematographer | Short |
1996 | Turning Point | Cinematographer | Video short |
1996 | Last Resort | Cinematographer | |
1996 | Clubhouse Detectives | Cinematographer | |
1997 | Witness | Cinematographer | Short |
1997 | Trail of Hope: The Story of the Mormon Trail | Cinematographer | Television documentary |
1997 | The King's Falcon | Cinematographer | Short |
1998 | No More Baths | Cinematographer | |
1998 | Follow Your Heart | Cinematographer | Short |
1998 | Angels in the Attic | Director of photography | |
1999 | Olympic Glory | Cinematographer | Documentary short |
1999 | A Kid Called Danger | Cinematographer | |
1999 | American Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith | Cinematographer | Documentary |
1999 | Christmas Mission | Cinematographer | Video short |
2000 | Navigate your Destiny | Cinematographer | Short |
2000 | The Testaments: Of One Fold and One Shepherd | Cinematographer | |
2000 | Baby Bedlam | Director of photography | |
2000 | Message in a Cell Phone | Cinematographer | |
2001 | Walls | Cinematographer | Short |
2001 | Bug Off! | Cinematographer & writer | |
2001 | The Penny Promise | Cinematographer & writer | |
2001 | Horse Crazy | Cinematographer | |
2002 | Journey to Harmony | Director of photography | Short |
2002 | Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West | Cinematographer | Short |
2003 | A Pioneer Miracle | Cinematographer & writer | Video short (alternative title: In the Arms of Angels) [23] |
2003 | Texas: The Big Picture | Cinematographer | Documentary short |
2004 | The Work and the Glory | Director of photography | |
2005 | Down and Derby | Cinematographer | |
2005 | A Warm Heart | Director of photography | Short |
2005 | Praise to the Man | Cinematographer & writer & director | Video |
2005 | Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration | Cinematographer & Director | |
2006 | Roving Mars | Cinematographer | Documentary short |
2006 | Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy | Director of photography | Credited as TC Christensen |
2006 | Rainbows of Paradise: The Pageant of the Long Canoes | Director | Documentary short |
2007 | Take the Lead | Cinematographer | Video short |
2007 | Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure | Director of photography | Documentary short |
2007 | The Legacy of Aotearoa: Land of the Long, White Cloud | Cinematographer & Director | Video documentary short, credited as TC Christensen |
2008 | Emma Smith: My Story | Cinematographer & co-director | |
2008 | Forever Strong | Cinematographer | |
2008 | Gordon B. Hinckley: A Giant Among Men | Cinematographer & writer & director | Video |
2008 | Only a Stonecutter | Cinematographer & writer & director | Video short |
2009 | The Jerk Theory | Cinematographer | |
2009 | Treasure in Heaven: The John Tanner Story | Cinematographer & director | Video short |
2010 | The Killers: Boots | Director | Video short |
2010 | That Promised Day: The Coming Forth of the LDS Scripture | Director of photography | Video |
2011 | 17 Miracles | Cinematographer & writer & director | |
2012 | Everything's Fine | Cinematographer | Short |
2012 | 12 Dogs of Christmas: Great Puppy Rescue | Cinematographer | |
2012 | Gathering of Friends | Cinematographer | |
2013 | Ephraim's Rescue | Cinematographer & writer & director | |
2014 | Scriptures Legacy | Cinematographer | Television short film |
2015 | The Cokeville Miracle | Cinematographer & writer & director | |
2017 | Love, Kennedy | Cinematographer & writer & director | |
2017 | The Stray | Cinematographer | |
2019 | The Other Side of Heaven 2: Fire of Faith | Cinematographer | |
2019 | The Fighting Preacher | Cinematographer & writer & director | Finalist for the 2019 narrative-feature-film AML Award [24] |
2024 | Escape from Germany | Cinematographer & writer & director | |
2025 | Standout: The Ben Kjar Story | Cinematographer | Documentary |
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 1995 until his death in January 2008 at age 97. Considered a prophet, seer, and revelator by church members, Hinckley was the oldest person to preside over the church in its history until Russell M. Nelson surpassed his age in 2022.
Mitch Davis is an American film director, writer, and producer noted for his 2001 film The Other Side of Heaven about the trials and adventures of a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, John H. Groberg. His movies range from intense dramas to lighthearted, family-friendly comedies. He has written seven films, directed five, and produced three. He is from Escondido, California. He attended Brigham Young University (BYU) and the University of Southern California.
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Deseret Book is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the holding company for business firms owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Deseret Book is a for-profit corporation registered in Utah. Deseret Book publishes under four imprints with media ranging from works explaining LDS theology and doctrine, LDS-related fiction, electronic resources, and sound recordings such as The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square albums.
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Saints and Soldiers is a 2003 war drama film directed by Ryan Little and produced by Little and Adam Abel. It is loosely based on events that took place after the Malmedy massacre during the Battle of the Bulge. The film stars Corbin Allred, Alexander Niver, Lawrence Bagby, and Peter Asle Holden as four American soldiers trying to return a British airman with vital intelligence to the Allied lines.
The Mormon handcart pioneers were participants in the migration of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Salt Lake City, Utah, who used handcarts to transport their belongings. The Mormon handcart movement began in 1856 and continued until 1860.
Ephraim Knowlton Hanks was a prominent member of the 19th-Century Latter Day Saint movement, a Mormon pioneer and a well known leader in the early settlement of Utah.
Minerva Bernetta Kohlhepp Teichert was a 20th-century American artist who painted Western and Mormon subjects, including murals of scenes from the Book of Mormon. She received her art education from the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League of New York, and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Religious-themed artwork by Teichert includes Christ in a Red Robe, Queen Esther, and Rescue of the Lost Lamb. She painted 42 murals related to stories in the Book of Mormon which reside in Brigham Young University's (BYU) Museum of Art. Teichert was the first woman invited to paint a mural for an LDS Church temple.
Susan Winder Tanner was the twelfth [[Young Women organization}Young Women]] General President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2002 to 2008.
Bryant Stringham Hinckley was an American author, religious speaker, civic leader and educator. He served as a prominent mid-level leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 20th century. His books were primarily designed for a Latter-day Saint audience.
Fred Emmett Woods IV is a Brigham Young University professor of Latter-day Saint Church History and Mormon Doctrine, an author specializing in Mormon migration and the Globalization of Mormonism.
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17 Miracles is a 2011 historical adventure film directed by T. C. Christensen. It was released in 2011 by Excel Entertainment Group. Based on the experiences of members of the Willie Handcart Company of Mormon pioneers following their late-season start and subsequent winter journey to Salt Lake City in 1856, the film emphasizes miracles individual participants reported having during the journey. The film was released in select theaters across the United States in the summer of 2011.
Hartt Partridge Wixom was an American writer who specialized in the topics of hunting, fishing, wildlife and environmental protection, and Latter-Day Saints (LDS) history. His most recent works focus on early LDS history: Jacob Hamblin (2008), Profiles in Mormon Courage (2007), and Critiquing the Critics of Joseph Smith (2005). Another book on early LDS history, Edward Partridge (1998), is a biography of Wixom's great-great-grandfather, the first presiding bishop of the LDS church. In 1998 Wixom gave the annual Juanita Brooks Lecture at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah on the subject of Jacob Hamblin. In 2009 Wixom was the featured speaker at the annual Jacob Hamblin Days celebration in Kanab, Utah.
John Rowe Moyle was a Mormon pioneer and a settler of Alpine, Utah. He was a master stonemason for the Salt Lake Temple, and was the carver of the inscription "Holiness to the Lord" on the temple's east side.
Ephraim's Rescue is a religious historical drama film by T. C. Christensen, released in 2013 by Excel Entertainment Group. It is based on the true stories of Mormon pioneers Ephraim Hanks and Thomas Dobson and their experiences in the handcart brigades. The film was released in select theaters across the United States in the spring of 2013.
Trek: The Movie is a 2018 comedy film. It was written and produced by David Howard and directed by Alan Peterson. The film is distributed by Excel Entertainment Group—the distributors of 17 Miracles, The Work and the Glory, and The Cokeville Miracle.