Although Kennedy Hansen is a funny, loving child, she inexplicably begins to fall ill. It takes years for the diagnosis: Juvenile Batten Disease – an extremely rare, terrible and terminal prognosis. There is no cure for Batten Disease, and after living only 16 years, Kennedy leaves behind a great legacy of love and friendship. But her story doesn’t end at her death. That’s when the miracles really begin.
Films by Christensen have received recognition in several film festivals. His Pioneer Miracle received the Best in Show award from the Houston International Film Festival in 2004. His Seasons of the Heart, for which he was both director and cinematographer, received multiple awards in film festivals.
Christensen has made several films about Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement (Mormonism). Among these are Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration and Emma Smith: My Story, both made in cooperation with Gary Cook. Other Mormon-themed films include the biography of LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley, made following Hinckley’s death in 2008.[2]
Christensen was the co-author and director of Only A Stonecutter, the story of John R. Moyle, father of James H. Moyle.[3][4][5]
Christensen has also been the cinematographer for a large number of films. These include Rigoletto, The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd, Forever Strong, and Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy.
Christensen has been described as the “mentor” of Jared Hess.[6]
On such films as the first Work and the Glory, Christensen’s cinematography was considered by some to be by far the best part of the film.[7]
Christensen has also made several IMAX films including Texas: The Big Picture and Ozarks: Legacy and Legend.
In the summer of 2011, 17 Miracles was released across the country. The film depicts the Martin and Willie handcart companies and their struggles and witnessed miracles as they travelled across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley in 1856.[8]
In 2013, Christensen’s film Ephraim’s Rescue about the life of Ephraim Hanks,[1] a notable rescuer of the Martin Handcart Company, was released to good user reviews and specifically the addressed events of Hanks bringing the first food supplies to the company, which were snow-bound and starving on the Mormon Trail.
In 2015, Christensen wrote and directed The Cokeville Miracle which tells the story of the school bombing in Cokeville, Wyoming in 1986.
In 2016, Christensen began working on his newest project “Love, Kennedy”. It is based on the true story of Kennedy Hansen and her battle with Juvenile Batten Disease. To be released in June 2017.
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