C. O. Baptista Film Collection & Archives

Carlos (or Charles) Octavio Baptista (1894-1965) was born in Cristóbal, Venezuela and immigrated to the United States while still a high school student in 1909. Of his early years as a piano salesman in Chicago, Baptista would later recall, “It is a strange feeling to find yourself alone and friendless in a big city.” The turning point in his life came when a stranger gave him a copy of the Gospel of John. Moved by John’s Gospel, Baptista dedicated his life to the Lord, but it would be another twenty years before God made known to him is mission in life: to spread the Gospel through the medium of film. Baptista’s first film, The Story of a Fountain Pen (1939) was based on an original parable he used while teaching Sunday School to illustrate Christ’s redemption of His followers. From this humble start, Baptista would go on to produce an extensive catalog of live-action and animated films. By the time of his death, he was recognized as an important pioneer in Christian cinema.