Cinema Divina

(watching film as a spiritual discipline, derived from lectio divina)

Some truths arrive through prayer.

Some through the pen.

Some through a darkened room and a story on the screen.

What is it?

Cinema Divina is a contemplative practice that uses film the way Lectio Divina uses Scripture — as a sacred text to be received, not just watched. But here's what makes this different from any Cinema Divina experience you may have encountered elsewhere.

The films we watch are mine. Written, directed, and produced by me — specifically to tell the stories of women in Scripture who were pushed to the margins of the narrative, overlooked in the commentary, and rarely given the full weight of their own chapter.

These are not "just" supporting characters. They were never meant to be. And neither were you.

Marginalized, Maligned,

AND Miraculous

We must make room for all the biblical stories, not just the ones that make us feel good. The women in these stories are not footnotes. They are a whole chapter, and the church just kept turning the page. Cinema Divina is my way of making us stop and step into their stories to address the tough stuff and create a more honest, compassionate, and welcoming environment for those who are struggling.

-Dr. Shonda Carter

You already know the famous stories.

The ones that get the sermon series, the Bible study curriculum, the conference keynote.

This is not those stories.

Cinema Divina at StoryLogian centers the women Scripture recorded, but the church rarely stayed with — the ones named in a single verse, the ones present at every turning point but absent from every retelling, the ones whose survival required things we're not comfortable acknowledging in Sunday school.

These women knew something about holding faith in a body that the institution didn't fully protect. And I know you know something about that, too.

That's why this hits different.

How a Session Works

01 Gathering & Grounding

A scene or short film from my biblical documentary work is played — selected for this group, this theme, this particular season. We watch together, in full presence, without anticipating what comes next.

02 The Screening

We arrive. We breathe. We set down whatever the day has been asking of us and become present to this hour and to each other. A brief prayer or intention opens the space.

03 Silence

The screen goes dark. We don't rush to speak. We sit with what arose — the recognition, the resistance, the memory, the ache. Silence is not empty here. It's where the real work begins

04 Open Discussion

There is no discussion guide. No right answers. No script. I hold the space and whatever surfaces, surfaces. Some women speak. Some sit quietly and receive what others offer. All of it is welcome. None of it is forced.

05 Sacred Witnessing

What is shared in this room is received — not fixed, not analyzed, not prayed over without permission. Women witness each other. That act of being truly seen by other women, in a sacred space, is often the thing that does the deepest work.

06 Closing

We close with intention. What was opened here, we release to God to complete — in God's time, in each woman's way. We leave differently than we arrived. That is enough.

The women my documentaries center are not incidental to the biblical story.
They are essential to it.
They were just rarely treated that way.
These are some of the figures whose stories we carry into the room.

The Unnamed Women

The ones Scripture records without a name. The hemorrhaging woman. The bent-over woman. The Syrophoenician mother. Their anonymity was assigned — not earned. Their courage was not.

The women at the margins (of miracles)

Present at every turning point. Witnesses to resurrection, healing, and the in-breaking of God — and almost never the subject of the sermon that followed.

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The women who survived

Hagar in the wilderness. Tamar after betrayal. The daughters of Zelophehad standing before Moses demanding what was theirs. Women who held faith in conditions the institution didn't protect them from.

The women who knew first

Mary at the tomb. The woman at the well who became the first evangelist. The ones who were told and the ones who told — and whose testimony was doubted before it was received.

These stories are not history lessons.

They are mirrors.

And in Cinema Divina, we hold them up together.

-R. Smith, NC

Knowing people’s stories humanizes them and prevents me from a taking a black and white perspective. I had a black and white understanding of Michal and now I have a more nuanced perspective of Michal and have compassion for her.

K. Phillips, NY

I connected (Rizpah ) through thinking about how I show up for those who are in grief and pain. I don’t need to show up and try to pull them through or encourage them, sometimes we just need someone to be there.

K. Henderson, OK

I was always taught not to question God, but now I am wondering....Not only if I should, but do I really want to hear HIS answers... What if God is way more grey than I’m comfortable with?

Cinema Divina with Dr. Shonda Carter is available in three ways.

Spiritual Retreats

Cinema Divina is a core practice inside the StoryLogian retreat experience — not an optional breakout, not a bonus session. It is one of the primary ways deep formation happens when women gather and slow down together. Retreats are intimate, intentional, and unhurried.

Cinema Divina gatherings

Periodic evenings open to small groups of women — curated around a specific biblical woman or theme. Deliberately small. Deeply facilitated. No film background required. Just a willingness to show up and be present.

For Your Community

Available to bring Cinema Divina to your women's group, church, leadership team, or retreat. This practice travels well — and the conversations it opens tend to go places your regular programming hasn't been able to reach. Reach out to start the conversation.

Inquire directly

You've been watching stories your whole life.

Some of them were about women just like you — women the world kept moving past.

This time, we stop.
We watch.
We let them speak.

Join the waitlist for upcoming Cinema Divina gatherings, or reach out to bring this experience to your community.