Feature Films for Families
Feature Films for Families or FFFF is a privately held entertainment company based in the United States. Feature Films for Families makes films that reinforce traditional family values and morality, are suitable for all ages and contain no profanity, sexuality, violence, or vulgarity. The founder of the company believes that rated R movies have a negative impact on society, and that few other alternatives are offered.
History
Feature Films for Families was established in 1988 with two major arms of business. One part is the production of family films. The other is a distribution system for both films they produced and films produced by others which they have purchased the distribution rights of. The distribution system developed, distributes films directly into the homes of families across the nation. Feature Films for Families conducts business with more than 8 million families world-wide, and has grossed over 1 billion over the past 20 years. FFFF focuses primarily upon the families nation-wide with small children, which is estimated to be approximately one-fifth of the population.
Feature Films for Families was based out of Murray, Utah. It initially distributed films that were in the public domain such as It's A Wonderful Life. It then moved to buying distribution rights. The first film it produced that won any awards was Season's of the Heart.
Feature Films for Families has been largely staffed by Latter-day Saints and many of the actors, directors, producers and other individuals involved in its productions have been Latter-day Saints. However its films while often promoting values that resonate with Latter-day Saints do not involve characters who are identified as members of this faith. Some of its films were based on stories that originally had clearly and identifiably Latter-day Saint characters. These LDS specific characters were removed or altered to be a generalized protestant form. This action is viewed by some as an unfortuante abandonment of cultural specificity, a view that was expressed by Richard Dutcher at a forum on Mormon Filmmaking at BYU in 2000.
Feature Films for Families has had so many Latter-day Saints working as directors, porducers and in other developmental capacities such as screenplay writers and cinemotographers that it is included in the Mormon Literature Database run by BYU.
Since the opening of the company, Feature Films for Families has produced more than twenty movies. They have been awarded at various film festivals nation-wide. In 1996, the company acquired an animation studio in Hungary. Since then, more than fifteen animated films have been produced. On average two films are produced a year.
Feature Films for Families frequently purchases the rights to content and production of various movies. This gains FFFF the right to remove any debatable objectionable content. Since beginning purchasing rights, Feature Films for Families has amassed a collection of more than 100 films. Hoosiers is included in this collection. FFFF has worked with producers such as Trevor Albert and James Keach to remove the profanity from the film, Waiting for Forever. The company itself, as well as its films, has no religious affiliations.
In 1995 Feature Films for Families brought manufacturing to its peak with the creation of Copyright Technologies. This company manufactures more than 3.5 million DVDs and Videos and ships approximately 70,000 units weekly.
Movies Produced and Distributed
Feature Films for Families has made several direct-to-video movies. Included are titles such as The ButterCream Gang, Rigoletto, , The Velveteen Rabbit,Picture Perfect (film),and The Retrivers. Many more are listed on their website.
Films by Feature Films for Families have received honors at numerous film festivals, including the Chicago International Film Festival, Houston International Film Festival, International Family Film Festival, and several more. Other awards won by films include the Director’s Gold Award, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Director, and the Liv Ullman Peace Prize.
Kids First
Feature Films for Families belongs to the Kids First Coalition, which is a collaboration of concerned adults. The coalition endorses and recommends media which they feel is respectable and constructive. This non-profit organization was founded in 1991 with the initial plan of teaching children critical viewing skills. The coalition is a voluntary collaboration.
Smart Television Alliance
Feature Films for Families belongs to the Smart Television Alliance. This alliance works to use television as a medium to educate, inspire and entertain. However, the alliance is also aware that television can have a negative influence as well. The alliance works to promote positive entertainment.
Controversies
In 2006, Feature Films for Families and the Dove Foundation paid $70,000 together to the Merchandising Practices Revolving Fund. Feature Films for Families had created an alliance with the Dove Foundation, a non-profit foundation which is known for its activities of rating, reviewing, and endorsing films. FFFF worked with the Dove Foundation as part of a Nation-wide campaign to promote the Dove Foundation’s non-profit organization. The two companies worked together via telemarketing, but because Feature Films for Families is a for-profit corporation, this allegiance violated Missouri’s No Call law. In addition to the fee paid to the Merchandising Practices Revolving Fund, Feature Films for Families also created and presented a plan to the attorney general’s office with a detailed plan of new practices and procedures that will ensure the company’s compliance with the No Call law.
In 2009, Verizon Wireless filed suit against Feature Films for Families after the company allegedly placed nearly 500,000 illegal automated telemarketing calls in ten days to the mobile phones on Verizon's network. The calls were recorded advertisements for the FFFF film "The Velveteen Rabbit".