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2010 Film Festival
The majority of these films will be sold in the LifeWay Bookstore on the Ridgecrest Campus.
This schedule is tentative.
Thursday, June 3rd
LETTERS TO GOD
7:30 PM-9:30 PM
A heartfelt tale of inspiration, hope and redemption, Letters to God is the story of what happens when one boy's walk of faith crosses paths with one man's search for meaning-the resulting transformational journey touches the lives of everyone around them.
Tyler Doherty (TANNER MAGUIRE) is an extraordinary eight-year-old boy. Surrounded by a loving family and community, and armed with the courage of his faith, he faces his daily battle against cancer with bravery and grace. To Tyler, God is a friend, a teacher and the ultimate pen pal-Tyler's prayers take the form of letters, which he composes and mails on a daily basis.
The letters find their way into the hands of Brady McDaniels (JEFFREY S.S. JOHNSON), a beleaguered postman standing at a crossroads in his life. At first, he is confused and conflicted over what to do with the letters. Overtime he begins to form a friendship with the Doherty family - getting to know not just Tyler but his tough, tender yet overwhelmed mom (ROBYN LIVELY), stalwart grandmother (MAREE CHEATHAM) and teen brother Ben (MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER BOLTEN) - who are each trying to stand strong against the doubts that come with the chaotic turn their lives have taken.
Moved by Tyler's courage, Brady realizes what he must do with the letters, a surprise decision that will transform his heart and uplift his newfound friends and community-in an exhilarating act of testament to the contagious effect of one boy's unwavering faith against the odds.
Inspired by a true story, Letters to God is an intimate, moving and often funny story about the galvanizing effect one child's belief can have on his family, friends and community.
Q & A with Director David Nixon
HEART OF TEXAS
9:45 PM-11:00 PM
When tragedy pierces the heart of a small community on the quiet Texas plains, its townspeople witness what can happen when grace and forgiveness triumph over anguish and outrage.
Against the clamorous traffic of our crowded lives, a story of such tender mercy can seem more of a work of fiction or a wishful tale...yet every moment of this unbelievable story is true.
Q & A with Steve & Grover Norwood
JOURNEY TO EVEREST
11:15 PM-12:30 AM
Journey to Everest follows the adventures of a team of six American businessmen who travel to the Himalayas to trek to Everest Base Camp. On their way into the mountains to begin their ascent, they are bumped from a plane flight that crashes and kills 18 people.
As they struggle with their decision of whether to continue on their trek, their faith comes into the fore as they experience the Hindu/Buddhist world of Kathmandu, Nepal, face the challenges of the Everest Region, and discover the depths of who they are as Christians in a life-altering way.
Q & A with Director David Kiern
Friday, June 4th
LOST BOY
7:00 PM-8:30 PM
Like many who came of age in the 1960s, Greg Laurie was on a search for the meaning of life. Born out of wedlock to the beautiful Charlene McDaniel, an alcoholic who went on to marry seven times, Greg started drinking, partying, and taking drugs to escape the insecurity and dysfunction of his family. But his life was suddenly changed when he encountered a group of young Christians on his high school campus in Newport Beach, California.
Greg went on to start what became one of the first mega-churches in the United States as well as a far-reaching ministry that today touches many who are searching for meaning, just as he once was. In 1990, Laurie began holding public evangelistic events called Harvest Crusades. Since then, over four million people have attended Harvest Crusades across the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Today, he is senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California-a congregation that is one of the eight largest churches in America. He is also the author of more than 35 books, including the Gold Medallion Award-winner The Upside-Down Church and Lies We Tell Ourselves.
Lost Boy: The Documentary is really a story about being found. Greg opens a window on his life and shares about his uncertainty and disappointments, his healing and growth. He remembers the beginnings of a ministry that has touched millions of people and relives the ups, downs, sudden drops, and blind corners - and he invites you along for the ride!
Q & A with Director of Harvest Ministries, Gary Zelasko
LION OF JUDAH
8:30 PM-10:15 PM
Q & A with Producer Kurt Hawn
THE TOUCH
10:30 PM-12:30 AM
Hannah More, acquires a lifetime of bad touches as she journeys through family dysfunction, rejection, drugs, and eventually jail. At the same time a local church has a bitter fight and is split down the middle on whether or not to open a shelter for homeless women. After a suicide attempt Hannah finds herself on the steps of the church's shelter. Not only does her life begin to change through a series of good touches but the church is changed, and challenged, as well. Based on a true story.
This is the editted version.
Q & A with Producer Art Ayris
Saturday, June 5th
SWEETPEA BEAUTY
7:00 PM-8:00 PM
More info on the newest VeggieTales movie coming soon!
The film is still in post-production.
Q & A with Director Brian Roberts
THE TRIAL
8:00 PM-10:00 PM
Attorney Ken "Mac" McClain has nothing left to live for. Three years after the horrific accident that claimed the life of his wife and two sons, he's finally given up. And then the phone rings. Mac is asked to take one final case-the trial of his life.
Shot on location in North Carolina and based on the best-selling award winning novel by Robert Whitlow, The Trial stars Matthew Modine (Memphis Belle), Bob Gunton (24, The Shawshank Redemption) and Academy Award nominee Robert Forster (Jackie Brown).
Trailer coming soon...
Q & A with Director Gary Wheeler and Producer Chad Gunderson
WESLEY
10:15 PM-12:30 AM
The year is 1732, a time of spiritual decline in England. The gulf between rich and poor is pronounced. Cheap methods of producing gin have created the 18th century's version of a crack epidemic among the lower classes.
Into this world steps a self-righteous young Anglican priest named John Wesley. Having grown up believing he had to earn his way into Heaven through good works, Wesley spent a great portion of his time visiting prisons, studying the Bible and praying - all to escape the fires of Hell himself.
His rigorous self-discipline attracts the attention of General Oglethorpe, who has just been appointed governor of the new colony of Georgia. Oglethorpe invites the young Wesley to serve as chaplain of the newly settled community of Savannah. Inspired by an encounter with a Native American, John and his brother Charles travel to America with dreams of evangelizing the native peoples.
When John returns to England bereft and depressed, he finds that his brother Charles has found the spiritual solace and peace that Wesley's heart is so desperately lacking. Through the friendship of a young Moravian missionary, John finally finds "heart religion," the manifestation of grace that he has been searching for.
With renewed energy and deep faith, Wesley begins a revolutionary movement that will ultimately transform the face of England and the fledgling country across the Atlantic. Under his leadership, the first shelters for battered women are begun, the poor of England are empowered and transformed by saving faith, prison reforms are started, and the anti-slavery movement begins. Across the former colonies, Methodist lay preachers on horseback reach the remotest frontier settlements with the message of the Gospel.
Q & A with Director John Jackman
Sunday, June 6th
MAKING SENSE OF AUTISM
9:00 AM-10:00 AM
Autism is on the rise in America. But its causes remain unknown and a cure is yet to be found. Common misunderstandings include the notions that children with autism are not able to learn, or that their behavior is simply the result of poor discipline. The first half of this DVD documentary dispels those myths, with an up-close-and-personal look into the lives of families that include a child with autism. The second half addresses the crucial question of the role of the Church in the lives of families affected by autism. "Making Sense of Autism" is produced by Joni and Friends, the disability ministry of quadriplegic Joni Eareckson Tada, who serves as host for this DVD.
A CHRISTMAS SNOW
8:00 PM-10:00 PM
For Kathleen, (Catherine Mary Stewart) Christmas has always been an unwelcome reminder of her father's abandonment almost 30 years ago. Although she has tried to forget her past, it has not forgotten her, and in the days leading up to Christmas an unforgiving blizzard traps her in her own home with two unlikely roommates. Sam (Muse Watson), a gentle older man Kathleen took in for the night and Lucy (Cameron ten Napel), the daughter of her soon to be fiance (Anthony Tyler Quinn) bring her face to face with the hurts of her past. Will she be able to let go and grab hold of a life changing forgiveness or will she continue to be haunted by the pain of the past?
A CHRISTMAS SNOW will challenge you with a message of forgiveness and redemption, as the storm of the century...brings the gift of a lifetime.
Q & A with the Cast & Crew
FIND ME
10:30 PM-12:30 AM
Find Me is an Indie Film with a positive message of faith, hope, & forgiveness that revolves around the sport of geocaching. The story follows two young college students who get caught up in a deadly game involving the kidnapping of a Senator's son.
Monday, June 7th
TO SAVE A LIFE
6:45 PM-9:00 PM
Jake Taylor has it all: friends, fame, a basketball scholarship and the hottest girl in school. What could be better?
Enter Roger Dawson. Roger has nothing. No friends. No hope. Nothing but putdowns and getting pushed aside. Things couldn't get worse...could they?
Jake and Roger were best friends when they were kids. But the politics of high school quickly pulled them apart. Now Roger doesn't fit in Jake's-or anyone's circle-and he's had enough. He walks onto campus with a gun in his pocket and pain in his heart and makes a tragic move.
Jake's last ditch effort can't stop Roger, and the sudden tragedy rocks Jake's world. Something breaks loose inside and sends him questioning everything. Most of all, he can't shake the question "Could I have saved Roger?" In a quest for answers, Jake finds himself looking for the next Roger and reaching out to the outcasts and lonely. But he quickly finds that crossing class castes threatens all his world is built on. And it could cost him his own friends, his girl, his dreams and even his reputation. Is it worth the price to find the answer to his ultimate question: What do I want my life to be about?
Q & A with Co-Producer Christina Storm
NO LIMIT KIDS
9:00 PM-11:00 PM
NO LIMIT KIDS: Much Ado About Middle School centers around a group of kids entering middle school for the first time with all their doubts and fears. Ashton is a self-proclaimed semi-outcast and routinely gets bullied by the star-football player Zach (Blake Michael). Ashton (Ashton Harrell) is raised by his grandmother, Katie (Lee Meriwether) and his whole philosophy about middle school life is to just lay low and attract as little attention as possible. Celeste (Celeste Kellogg) is also unsure of middle school because of the ways in which her friends are changing. She is a cheerleader, but unlike her friends, doesn't want to make herself popular at the expense of others.
However, Danielle (Danielle Hill) believes that Celeste is trying to steal her boyfriend and takes revenge by casting her out of her clique. But Celeste's friend Becca (Amanda Waters) stands up for her, and these three unlikely outcasts band together to form a club in an old abandoned theater on Main Street.
Inside the theater, they not only find a very interesting piece of their town's history, but also a seemingly homeless man, Charlie (Bill Cobbs). He is kind to the kids and connects with them because of his own "outcast" status and his musical theater passion which he shares with the kids. The kids learn that the old theater will soon be torn down and set out on a mission to save the town's landmark and Charlie's safe haven. Needing to raise money, they decide to do a modern day version of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." Through mistaken identities and false assumptions, the kids learn a valuable lesson that you can't always judge a book by it's cover.
With morals that center on treating all people with respect, standing up for yourself and what you believe in, and above all being true to yourself, NO LIMIT KIDS: Much Ado About Middle School delivers a fun family film with a message that will speak to all generations.
Q & A with Director/Producer Dave Moody
LIVE TO FORGIVE
11:15 PM-12:45 AM
What would you do if your stepfather murdered your mother?
The answer for Dean Eric Smith was, for many years, hate him and plot revenge. But Dean's life took an unusual turn. After years of inner-turmoil, he sought out help from God to overcome his long-suppressed bitterness and anger. Building his faith and relationship with Jesus, he became a minister and found forgiveness and even love for his stepfather Bob. The film documents his extraordinary journey to discover the truth and find forgiveness. It culminates with his first meeting with Bob since 1986, at which Bob confesses how and why he committed the murder.
LIVE TO FORGIVE is a feature-length documentary about faith, redemption, and most of all forgiveness and the power to free yourself from the burden of unforgiveness.
Q & A with Skip Moody and Dean Smith
Tuesday, June 8th
NO GREATER LOVE
10:00 AM-11:50 AM
Jeff and Heather were the "lucky ones." Best friends from childhood, high school sweethearts, and married by 22, they were inseparable soul mates.
After the birth of her first and only child, Heather Baker (Danielle Bisutti) fell into a deep depression. Hopelessly lost, she did the unthinkable - she abandoned her husband and her infant son - and vanished. Jeff Baker (Anthony Tyler Quinn) was forced to raise their son Ethan as a single father.
Ten years after his wife's disappearance, Jeff is finally ready to move on and is on the verge of marrying his new girlfriend. His world, however, is dramatically rocked when Heather shockingly appears in the most unusual place.