Inside Christian Cinema - Redeemed

Inside Christian Cinema - Revelation Road

Inside Christian Cinema - The Christmas Candle

Inside Christian Cinema -- The Current

Inside Christian Cinema - The Pledge

Inside Christian Cinema - The War Within

Inside Christian Cinema - Love Comes Softly

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0235822/  Chris Dowling, the writer and director of http://wherehopegrowsmovie.com/ Where Hope Grows, chatted with Adam McManus http://adammcmanus.net/whoisAdam.asp in this podcast  about the unlikely, budding friendship between Calvin Campbell http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1119340/?ref_=tt_cl_t6  (Kristoffer Polaha), an alcoholic ex-baseball player and ‘Produce” (David DeSanctis http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6081713/?ref_=tt_cl_t12 -- pronounced De-SANK-tis), the 22-year-old Christian young man with Down Syndrome who works in the produce section of the supermarket.  

The writer/director wrote one especially priceless scene, set in the supermarket, which both captured the child-like faith of Produce and the genuine desire that Calvin has to understand and possibly “bottle” Produce’s endless optimism.

“Produce, I wasn’t honest,” confesses Calvin. “I’m not fine.”
“Are you sick?” Produce inquires.
“No.”
“Maybe you just need to smile.  A cheerful heart is good medicine,” notes the supermarket employee with Down Syndrome.
“Where’d you get that?  A bumper sticker?” asks Calvin sarcastically.  “Look, I just came to talk.”
“To ME?” asks ‘Produce’ incredulously.
“Yeah.  I’d like some of that magical happiness that you always seem to have.  Seriously, what’s your secret?”
“It’s no secret, Mr. Campbell.”

“Studios are going to find an actor to play special needs because they’re afraid that an actor who truly has Down Syndrome can’t remember all the lines,” explained Dowling with distaste.  “We gave the most lines ever to an actor with Down Syndrome.  David not only knew them, but ingested them and was able to act them out.  The only limitations he had were the ones I placed on him,” confessed the director.  Ultimately, “we went out there and proved them all wrong.”

In light of the fact that Where Hope Grows was made in 23 days – often with 12-14 hour work days – McManus wondered aloud:  “Did you think you would be pushing David too far?”

“Absolutely,” Dowling admitted.  “Oh my gosh! Walking into this, the biggest ‘x’ factor was, ‘What am I going to be able to get from David?’  He tires.  But his currency is hot chocolate.  After that, he’s right back in it.”

DeSanctis was quite direct with the Hollywood Reporter, saying, “I want people to see me for my abilities, not my disability.”

Chris Bennett, pastor of Antioch Church in Norman, Oklahoma, summarized the film well. “Where Hope Grows made me laugh, cry and think.  This film truly puts God’s heart on display to show that He can work through anyone to demonstrate His love.  You will leave the movie challenged, compelled and inspired.”

It’s no wonder why 392,109 fans have already liked the https://www.facebook.com/WhereHopeGrows Where Hope Grows Facebook page. Dowling rightly concludes that the film is “resonating with people.  The word of mouth has been through the roof.  At any particular moment, 40,000-50,000 people on Facebook are talking about this film.”  And with good reason.  It’s excellent!

Sneak Peek w/Adam McManus - Where Hope Grows

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283556/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Michael Flynn, the director and producer of www.Facebook.com/ThornsTheMovie
Thorns, a 21-minute film, is more accustomed to being in front of the camera.  Having acted in 60 films including Footloose and Home of Our Own, he’s also starred in 12 episodes of Touched by An Angel as well as the TV series Promised Land and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318883/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_31 Everwood.  In his conversation with Adam McManus http://adammcmanus.net/whoisAdam.asp in the podcast below, he talks about how we need to be grateful for the thorns that God sends our way as well as the flowers.

Catherine, portrayed by Melanie Nelson (Heaven Is Waiting) http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=3965 is a troubled, seemingly overwhelmed 35-year-old woman, who wanders into The Passionate Flower Shop owned by Grace, an older, feisty French woman portrayed by Heidi Harrison.

The strangest thing happens. One patron after another come in, give Grace a big hug, and pick up vases filled with bouquets of thorny stems and encircled with a purple ribbon, much to the bewilderment of Catherine.  There’s not a rose bloom in sight.

“She keeps a purple vase of thorny stems to remind her of the thorny times,” explains one elderly customer pointing behind the counter. “ His wife of 60 years and he give a name to each stem for each problem they’ve endured.  “And we give thanks for every one of them,” he says as he touches one thorny stem adding, “I think I’ll call this one ‘my prostate.’”

Grace has not been immune to the thorns of life, having lost her husband years before, forcing her to grapple with painful loneliness.  She offers Catherine some unsolicited advice:  “I always thanked God when things were going well. But when the bad times were coming, I thought, ‘Why me?’  God comforts us in our sorrows. It took a while, but I learned to be grateful in difficult times.”

“Some thorns cut too deep,” Catherine responds skeptically. 

“Everyone has burdens. No one is the same. No one is exempt. And yes, some are heavier than others,” says the empathetic florist.  

That’s when she points her new customer to Christ. “They clothed Him in purple. And placed a crown of thorns upon His head.  No one bore a bigger burden than the one He bore. And He did it for us.  God loves you Catherine,” says Grace with heart-felt concern.

Sadly, too many Christians are under the false impression that once God saves them, that life will be easier, that trials and tragedies will slip off them like a fried egg slips out of a well-coated Teflon sauté pan.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  But when we are in the eye of the storm, we should find comfort that God is there in the midst of it with us.

2 Corinthians 2:3-4 speaks to this issue: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

In other words, our sufferings have purpose.  But the key is to ask God, our Creator, to give us His eternal, bird’s eye perspective.

“Part of the message of the film is no matter how far down you go, no matter how far off the path you think you’ve gotten, no matter how unworthy you feel, no matter how sinful you feel, there is always, always, always a way back.  God is always there, with open arms, ready to welcome you back and to comfort you,” said Flynn.

Released March 30, 2015 on DVD, Thorns was awarded 5 “doves” by the Dove Foundation, an impressive feat, especially for a short.

Listen to other McManus interviews of Christian filmmakers and actors about recent releases. http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/podcast.php 

Send an email with your feedback about this podcast: Adam@ChristianCinema.com 


Sneak Peek w/Adam McManus - Thorns

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0235948/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1  Kevin Downes, producer and co-star of www.faithofourfathersmovie.com Faith of Our Fathers, chatted with ChristianCinema.com’s Adam McManus http://adammcmanus.net/whoisAdam.asp in the podcast below about his film, seven years in the making, which celebrates both the legacy of fathers and the brotherhood of men. With the Vietnam War raging in 1969, two young fathers report for duty -- a man of great faith and a doubtful cynic. A quarter-century later, their sons, Wayne http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924684/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm  (David A.R. White) and John Paul (Kevin Downes) meet as strangers. Guided by letters handwritten by their fathers from the battlefield, they embark on an unforgettable journey to The Wall—the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Along the way, they discover the devastation of war cannot break the love of a father for his son.  And, more importantly, they learn that the ultimate demonstration of love was when Christ died on the cross to atone for their sins.

Set to be married to his fiancé Cynthia http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0121026/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 (Candace Cameron Bure) within three weeks, John Paul begins digging through an old box of his mother’s keepsakes in a weathered pine box in his garage which reveals the name of his father’s Vietnam War buddy Eddie Adams http://www.imdb.com/media/rm142391296/nm0926697?ref_=nm_phs_md_6  (Scott Whyte).  He makes calls across the country with the hope that he might be able to learn more about his father, Steven George http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0569702/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm (Sean McGowan) who died when he was a young boy.  It turns out that the man whom he thought was Eddie was actually his son Wayne, a gruff, standoffish fellow living in a dilapidated trailer in Mississippi.

“They decide to take a road trip from Mississippi to the Vietnam War Memorial to see their dads’ names, thinking that just seeing the name will help bring closure,” explains Downes.  “But what they learn along the way is that the letters help bring closure and the journey itself helps bring closure.  They realize that their fathers loved them so much they would give their lives for them and they did. Similar to how our Heavenly Father loves us that He gave His only Son for us.”

Early on in the road trip, Wayne broaches the subject of John Paul’s Christianity in a humorous, relatable way.

To their credit, Kevin and his co-producer brother Bobby Downes, both of whom also co-founded ChristianCinema.com, don’t shy away from a clear Gospel presentation.  As life hangs in the balance, Eddie and Steven have an emotional, heart-to-heart talk about God, forgiveness and eternity.

Interspersed throughout the more serious moments of the film are plenty of lighter, funny moments. http://www.aetv.com/duck-dynasty/cast/si-robertson Si Robertson, known from the A&E reality show http://www.aetv.com/duck-dynasty Duck Dynasty, and a Vietnam veteran himself, plays a convenience store clerk who witnesses some good ole boys take on Eddie and John Paul.  While he’s on the phone with the 911 operator, Si declares, “The Yuppie just took down Goliath with an oil can to the head!”  In the midst of his recreation of the fight for the tardy policemen’s report, he tried repeatedly to sell the cops some tasty chicken jerky.

Listen to McManus’ interviews http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/podcast.php  with other Christian filmmakers and actors. 

In addition to going to the theaters on Wednesday, July 1st to see Faith of Our Fathers, make sure to bookmark this page to order the DVD. http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=5422

Email your feedback to this article and podcast: Adam@ChristianCinema.com 
