CANADA – 2013 – 74 MIN – COLOUR - FEATURE - IN ENGLISH
A FILM BY JUSTIN LUDWIG

ChristCORE is an inside look at the explosive subculture of Christian hardcore music which is surging across North America. Filmmaker and atheist punk rocker Justin Ludwig goes on tour with two evangelical hardcore bands — driven newcomers Messengers and Christcore superstars Sleeping Giant — culminating in the important Cornerstone Christian Music Festival. The tribulations of touring combine with the trials of preaching from the stage for these talented musicians and devoted evangelical Christians.

 

"The power of hardcore compels you"
- VUEWEEKLY

NNNN! "Jesus was the original punk. Think about it: what’s more hardcore than willingly getting yourself crucified?"
- NOW MAGAZINE

"...a fascinating look at the way Christian youth culture have embraced a form of music that you wouldn’t expect."
- TORONTO FILM SCENE

"Whether such an angry and aggressive musical style entirely jibes with messages of love and salvation is a question that Ludwig largely abandons as he comes to recognize the value of the community that these bands foster."
- THE GRID

"Since Christian musicians have already created their own takes on hip-hop and heavy metal, it was surely only a matter of time before they found a place for Jesus amid the screaming mayhem of hardcore punk, too"
- THE TORONTO STAR

"Directed by self-described atheist Saskatchewanian punk rocker Justin Ludwig, the movie provides a considered skeptic’s account of a scene that converges at certain festivals and events across the United States, and which is impressive not just for its fealty to the authentic sonic assault of mosh-pit churning hardcore punk, but to the utter sincerity of its participants, who make a very simple argument: If music is rapture and rapture is God, then do the math."
- THE GLOBE AND MAIL

"'After the baptism, we all make our way back to the tents' is not a phrase you'll often hear at a music festival. But that's the way they roll at outdoor hardcore Christian punk rock gatherings, which some compare to Woodstock, minus the drugs and alcohol, and with praying."
- THE NATIONAL POST

An interview w Justin Ludwig
- DORK SHELF

An interview w Justin Ludwig
- TORONTO FILM SCENE

"There is no flashy camerawork in ChristCORE and it’s a better film for it. The subjects are truly fascinating enough to tell their own stories in their own words with little interference. As a documentation of a scene that allows viewers to form their own conclusions, ChristCORE is a qualified success."
- POP SHIFTER