Founded in 1969, Gateway Films created its niche within the
Christian film industry after it was nominated to distribute
The Cross and the Switchblade whose producer had entered receivership. Gateway Films afterward produced successful theatrical and television releases, many (such as the original
Shadowlands, 1985) in conjunction with the BBC. Vision Video was formed in 1981 to explore the growing video field. Today it’s a significant producer and vendor of DVD’s geared to Christian and family audiences, the majority of them its own productions or co-productions, and many of them award-winners. A number of the company's early productions and co-productions focused on Christian biography, and the 2010
John Wesley: a Heart Transformed Can Change the World (with Foundery Pictures).
The Cross and the Switchblade introduced actor
Erik Estrada to film audiences, playing alongside entertainer
Pat Boone.
Shadowlands with
Joss Ackland as C.S. Lewis and
Claire Bloom as Joy Gresham, won two BAFTA TV Awards and the 1986 International Emmy for best Drama. In 2019, Gateway Films/Vision Video became part of the
Christian History Institute, also founded by A. Kenneth Curtis. In 2020, Vision Video launched the streaming service Redeem TV. == References ==