Christian storytelling

From silent, black and white movies to technicolor and sound, the film industry took root in Hollywood in the early 1900s. Initially, strict standards for content reflected Christian values until 1968 when censorship became relaxed and Christian morality was often disregarded or demeaned. Decades later, there followed Christian movies with forced messages often lacking in good stories or good acting.
 
Today, there is a new wave of Christian filmmakers who understand that good stories don’t have to be preachy or second rate because the story of Jesus is played out in humanity repeatedly. As a result, Christian and wholesome films are now doing well at the box office driven by audiences seeking uplifting and faith-based content. For instance, Angel Studios has become a major player in this space, creating high-quality family movies. At the same time, Hollywood is no longer the end all and be all for filmmaking. 
 
Enter Daniel Bielinski who has become a player in this new generation of movie making. He serves as chair of the Dramatic Arts Program at the University of Mary in Bismarck and founded Canticle Productions, a film company that celebrates the history, land and culture of the Great Plains. 
 
He has produced an impressive lineup of movies and has just landed a big win with his latest, Hazel’s Heart, released in 2025. It depicts the true events of 16-year-old Hazel Miner from Center, N.D. during a fierce blizzard in March 1920. The legendary courage of this humble farm girl’s Christ-like sacrifice inspired Bielinski to bring her story to the screen.

He wrote the screenplay during a three-day North Dakota blizzard, an experience that stirred emotion in him to the point of tears, imagining what Hazel went through. He explained that the story is profoundly spiritual. 
 
“There is a Christian message that does not hit anyone over the head but comes out through the story itself in a humble and faithful way like the person that Hazel was,” he said. 
 
Bielinski’s films are finding an ever-growing audience, particularly with Hazel’s Heart which packed theaters at the world premiere in Bismarck and across the state last fall. The film’s executive producer helped Bielinski secure a national distribution deal with Samuel Goldwyn Films, a highly regarded independent production and distribution company. After the December run in theaters, it is now platformed on demand on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play/YouTube Movies, Fandango-At-Home, Versant, Vubiquity and DirecTV/AT&T and was exclusively streamed on Angel Studios in December. Not bad for a North Dakota resident with no interest in acting as a kid.
 
In the beginning
 
It was a production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream during his junior year in high school in Wisconsin that first bit Bielinski with the acting bug. 
 
“I was strong armed into filling a part,” he recalled. “I didn’t grow up in a theater family; we were musicians and played the piano.” He had a small but comedic part. “People laughed and I discovered the joy of performance through that,” he shared.
 
Bielinski majored in literature at Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida and by sophomore year began directing his own productions just for fun. He was soon hired as an adjunct professor and would cast himself in the plays. 
 
“I was learning as I directed the plays myself,” he recounted. “I was also involved in a professional opera company and played some secondary roles and was exposed to real talented professionals. I learned a lot from being around them, seeing the polish and precision and beauty of opera.”
 
Bielinski went on for a master’s in fine arts from Columbia University School of Arts in New York before accepting the position at the University of Mary. He now lives in Bismarck with his wife and six children. Alongside movie making, Bielinski has been establishing a premier performing arts center at the University of Mary. His movie company also affords students opportunities to gain hands-on experience in the film industry. 
 
Canticle’s success has come despite Bielinski starting out as an outsider, but employing initiative, learning and faith—feeling that God has called him to this work. But how can someone be successful making movies in North Dakota? According to Belienski, so much is outsourced these days, it’s no longer a disadvantage not to be in Hollywood. 
 
“I actually consider it an advantage to be in North Dakota with all the stories and staying grounded as a person by living here,” he shared. 
 
It’s also not a problem getting talented actors and crew members to North Dakota. Bielinski hires a casting director who finds talented people, even bringing in actors from England for his upcoming movie, Medora: Empress of the Badlands. A red-carpet premiere is scheduled for this film on April 17-18 at the Grand Theatres in Bismarck.
 
Canticle’s movies reflect North Dakota values and do not demand astronomical budgets according to Bielinski. 
 
“The goal is not to be working directly for Warner Brothers or a big brand but to produce well-told beautiful stories,” he explained. “They don’t have to have an A-lister that immediately grabs attention, but producing quality films over time will make an impact and open the door for the next film. In terms of the production, it is that we retain creative control so the story telling doesn’t get lost. Although, it would be a blessing to work with large distribution companies on some projects if it is the right fit.”
 
By continuing to tell beautiful stories that have deep meaning, Bielinski trusts that his movies will continue to reach a growing audience. What is a beautiful story? “A story that moves us toward virtue,” he explained. “It doesn’t mean we can’t handle stories that have no religious themes. I think of Mary Poppins and The Beauty and the Beast—beautiful stories where good is presented as good and evil as evil. The challenge is to present that mystery at the heart of who we are without becoming preachy, but the audience will see and sense it and want to understand it.”