The Passion of the Christ was produced independently and filmed in Italy — primarily at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, in the old city of Matera, and in the ghost town of Craco. The estimated $30 million production cost, plus an additional estimated $15 million in marketing costs, were fully borne by Gibson and his company, Icon Productions. As one of the most successful independent movies of all time, The Passion of the Christ overnight created a new market for faith-based and faith-friendly films, and inspired filmmakers around the world. A decade later in 2014, The Bible continues to inspire audiences as films including Son of God, Noah and Exodus will be released theatrically.
The Passion of the Christ received numerous industry and critical awards, including the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Drama, the National Board of Review Award for Freedom of Expression and ShoWest’s Consumers Choice for Favorite Movie Award. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Best Original Score. Gibson was named Hollywood Producer of the Year at the Hollywood Film Festival. The instrumental original movie soundtrack, one of three soundtracks for the film, also received a GMA Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year.
In addition, The Passion of the Christ was voted the most pro-Catholic film of all time by readers of Faith & Family magazine and the National Catholic Register newspaper. It received more votes from readers than the next three films on the list combined: The Sound of Music (1965), A Man for All Seasons (1966) and The Song of Bernadette (1943). In June 2006, Entertainment Weekly named The Passion of the Christ #1 on its list of “The 25 Most Controversial Movies of All Time.”
The Passion Of The Christ To Be Broadcast On National TV was originally published on elev8.com
