Contact: Kiersti Adams, sparkhouse, 651-587-1743

MINNEAPOLIS, May 9, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- sparkhouse, a small Christian publisher based in Minneapolis, MN has won big in Orlando, Florida at the International Christian Film Festival (ICFF) receiving the award of Best Short Film for their animated film "Abraham and Sarah."

The ICFF was founded in 2013 in order to create an avenue for Christian filmmakers to share their vision with the world. This year's festival took place April 25-27in Orlando, Florida and received almost 200 submissions from across the country and around the world.

"Abraham and Sarah" was originally produced for a 30-part youth faith formation curriculum called re:form Ancestors. The video production team at sparkhouse was both thrilled and surprised by the win. "We develop these videos to help kids learn about the Bible and explore their faith, until several months ago submitting our work to a film festival wasn't even on our radar," said Aaron Christopher, Executive Producer of sparkhouse video who co-directed "Abraham and Sarah" with Senior Video Producer Jared Neher.

sparkhouse, a branch of Augsburg Fortress Publishers, was established in 2008 with the mission of developing resources for children, youth and adults that spark new life in Christian communities. Since its inception the company's focus has been on utilizing technology, language, and active learning concepts that align with 21st-century lifestyles. Integrating story driven videos into their curriculum has been a key part of the company's success in creating unique and engaging Sunday school and Bible study materials.

"There's a lot of passion for what we do at sparkhouse," said Christopher, "Our ultimate goal is to create imaginative tools of faith exploration that anyone can use and find personally meaningful. My hope is that this award will generate greater awareness of the innovative resources sparkhouse is creating."

To view "Abraham and Sarah" go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EMdxyOsfOc.

For more information on sparkhouse, visit wearesparkhouse.org.