David Loren Cunningham

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David Loren Cunningham (born February 24, 1971), an American film director and producer. The founder and President of the Los Angeles-based production company Pray For Rain Pictures, Inc., he was born in Switzerland and raised in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i^[1].

1 Background
2 The Path to 9/11 controversy
3 The Film Institute
4 Director - Filmography
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Background

His father, Loren Cunningham,^[2] was a founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and the University of the Nations, (an unaccredited institution)^[3]an international, interdenominational organization with campuses in over 100 countries with a special emphasis on education for the developing nations.^[4]

Cunningham studied film and graduated from both the University of Southern California (USC) and University of the Nations (Hawai'i, Amsterdam, and Santiago, Chile campuses).^[5] After directing documentaries in over 40 countries,^[1] Cunningham ventured into the independent feature film arena with his debut film Beyond Paradise which was semi autobiographical^{[citation needed]}. His next film To End All Wars caught the attention of Hollywood. Since that time, Cunningham has made a number of movies, including the recent The Path to 9/11.

He is a member of the Traveler's Century Club, whose members can document visits to over 100 countries,^[6] and of the Directors Guild of America. ^[7]

David began his film career in documentaries, including one about the world's most remote country - Pitcairn Island of "Mutiny on the Bounty" fame. Other films took him to the deserts of Egypt and Australia, and the inner city life of teen prostitutes living on the mean streets of Hollywood.^{[citation needed]}

He helped pioneer indie filmmaking in the 50th state which he still calls home. His pseudonym is "Haole Boy". He filmed After, one of his latest movies, under Moscow's Red Square in the secret tunnels built by Stalin.^[8]

David Cunningham participated in a University of the Nations Leadership Training School (LTS) in Santiago, Chile in 1991. His LTS project "centered on his call to be a missionary to Hollywood. It was a plan to create an independent film company whereby he could both influence the Hollywood film industry and produce major motion pictures which would carry a biblical values based message." ^[9]

[edit] The Path to 9/11 controversy

Cunningham directed the controversial ABC miniseries The Path to 9/11. The made-for-TV docudrama dramatized 10 years of terrorist events and the Clinton administration responses leading up to 9/11. The film concluded with the 9/11 Commission's report card that criticized the government's response after the tragedy. The docudrama was praised by supporters as being accurate, and condemned by critics for certain scenes that appeared to be a distortion of history. ^[10]^[11]

On September 12, 2006, The New York Times reported Cunningham was chosen by Quinn Taylor, ABC's senior vice president of motion pictures and miniseries, to direct the film. Taylor and Stephen McPherson, the president of ABC Entertainment, wanted to do a movie based on the 9/11 Commission Report. They hired Marc Platt as a producer and Marc chose Cyrus Nowrasteh to write the script. Edward Hyatt, the author of the article, wrote that "Mr. Platt and Hope Hartman, a spokeswoman for ABC, said the political and religious affiliations of the two men (David and Cyrus) had nothing to do with and did not influence the mini-series in any way."^[12]

In an opinion column, Max Blumenthal reported that Cunningham's The Film Institute organization described Untitled History Project (The Path to 9/11's working title) as "TFI's first project". ^[13] A spokesperson from ABC said that the network provided the entire funding of $40 million for the miniseries.^[14]

Nowrasteh defended Cunningham in a Wall Street Journal column, arguing that criticism of the director's association with his father's Christian mission was akin to McCarthyism, in which "the merest hint of a connection to communism sufficed to inspire dark accusations."^[15]

On ABC's Path to 9/11 blog, Cunningham wrote, "This is a movie or more specifically a docudrama. Meaning, it is a narrative movie based on facts and dramatized with actors."^[16] He also stated, "We are hoping our show will be a call to action, so that people are provoked to call their representatives and say, We need to do different, we need to do more." ^[17]

[edit] The Film Institute

In 2004, The Film Institute (TFI), a non-profit organization, was established by David and several U of N alumni from around the world. TFI became embroiled in the Path to 9/11 controversy when several bloggers claimed it funded or influenced the movie. TFI's primary purpose is to help aspiring filmmakers through internships, scholarships, and seminars. Six of these unpaid interns were on The Path to 9/11 set among the approximately 140 other paid workers in order to gain experience about the filmmaking business. ^[18] ^[19] TFI's mission statement says it is "dedicated to a Godly transformation and revolution TO and THROUGH the Film and Television industry. TO it, by serving, living humbly with integrity in what is often a world driven by selfish ambition, power and money – transforming lives from within, and THROUGH it, by creating relevant and evocative content which promotes Godly principles of Truth married with Love." ^[20]