FROM Charlton Heston holding his stone tablets aloft to Mel Gibson directing Aramaic dialogue, the Bible has consistently inspired Hollywood. Now, a canon of Chelmsford Cathedral is inviting 12 people to create a film called The God Movie.

Eschewing the casting couch, the Revd Edward Carter, Canon Theologian at Chelmsford, has invited anyone aged over 18 to join the project. Participants will talk about their passions and how these relate to God.

"They don't have to be Christians, but, as I am making clear with God in the title, it's meant to be about understanding how God is at work in our lives," said Canon Carter last week.

"As an example, one of my hobbies is playing volleyball, so I might talk about that, and how the great build-up to a big match is a little bit like preparing for an important service. It's the parable principle. Jesus told stories about everyday life, and used them to illustrate very important spiritual things."

When asked about his own favourite films about God, Canon Carter selected The Matrix, which he has used in adult confirmation classes. "There are some movies which are very specifically about Jesus or about the Christian story, and many of those are wonderful," he said. "More interesting are those not specifically about God. . . [but] great spiritual films. The Matrix is a wonderful movie about the hiddenness of the Kingdom of Heaven in our midst."

The God Movie will be made over the six Monday evenings from 16 September to 21 October. The premiere will be on 9 November at the cathedral.

Details from edward.carter@chelmsfordcathedral.org.uk.