BY ANGE KING
There’s just something shiny and hopeful about the all the possibilities associated with a new year. Anything could happen this year—it’s all yet to be.
But the fact is that living in the expectation of good things—moments of joy, the wonder of provision, deepening relationships, miraculous breakthrough—can and should be a part of any time of year. Because good things come naturally when you are doing life with someone who is unendingly kind and powerful.
And that Someone loves movies. So much! Why? Because he loves story, and he loves to touch people through story. He is very much in the business of bringing people revelation and healing through stories—through film. Any kind of film. But films made specifically for him are, of course, specifically special.
So here are some of the great faith-based films you can expect to see surfacing this year. Feel free to be expectant!
Beautifully Broken
DRAMA
What it’s about:
A refugee’s escape, a prisoner’s promise, and a daughter’s painful secret converge in this inspiring real life story of hope. As three fathers fight to save their families, their lives become intertwined in an unlikely journey across the globe, where they learn the healing power of forgiveness and reconciliation. Based on true events.
What people are saying about it:
An intelligently inspiring faith-based drama that links the fates of families in Rwanda and Nashville – Variety
This film is a must see, because it tells a tale of how brokenness can bring new life, healing, and forgiveness through God’s love and power – christiananswers.net
This powerful true story of forgiveness and redemption challenges us to see that no horror—even the horror of genocide—is beyond God’s ability to redeem – Plugged In
The Least of These: The Graham Staines Story
DRAMA
What it’s about:
As the social fabric of life in rural India disintegrates in the late 1990s, journalist Manav Banerjee (Sharman Joshi) moves with his pregnant wife to the town of Orissa in hope of a better life and the promise of a lucrative career. When speculation mounts that local Australian missionary Graham Staines (Stephen Baldwin) is illegally proselytizing leprosy patients, Manav agrees to investigate undercover for the newspaper. What he finds is a series of revelations that are difficult to fathom and even harder to explain, and Manav is forced to make a choice between his own ambition and the truth. In the end, his actions spark a tragic event that is felt around the world. Based on a true story and shot on location in India, “THE LEAST OF THESE” beautifully illustrates the power of love, hope and forgiveness to overcome hate.
What people are saying about it:
“beautifully illustrates the power of love, hope and forgiveness to overcome hate. It is the very edict of the commandment to love your neighbour as you love yourself”– Executive Producer Victor Abraham
Camp Manna
COMEDY
What it’s about:
Ian Fletcher, a “nonbeliever”, is shipped off to a backwoods Christian camp, where he is forced to compete in (and survive) a Biblically-themed Olympiad known as the God Games.
What people are saying about it:
“…never ridicules faith and instead centres the jokes on how beliefs are often expressed and lived out. It’s a laugh of recognition that acknowledges the surreal, often tacky aesthetics and phrasing of cultural Christianity, but it’s also nostalgic…It’s affectionate satire, a laughing with instead of a laughing at” – patheos
Summer in the Forest
DOCUMENTARY
What it’s about:
Like countless others, Philippe, Michel, Andre and Patrick were labeled ‘idiots’, locked away and forgotten in violent asylums, until the 1960s, when the young philosopher Jean Vanier took a stand and secured their release – the first time in history that anyone had beaten the system. Together they created L’Arche, a commune at the edge of a beautiful forest near Paris. A quiet revolution was born. Now in his 80s, still at L’Arche and revered by some as a living saint, Jean has discovered something that most of us have forgotten – what it is to be human, to be foolish, and to be happy. Summer in the Forest invites us to abandon the rat race and forge new friendships. Amid the ancient trees, Philippe, Patrick, Jean and the others welcome us into their lives. If there are rules to break, they will be broken. And if there is a truth to be told, they will tell it. Michel reveals his war-torn past, Andre is desperate for a date, and young David will prove himself a hero in the fight against the forces of evil.
What people are saying about it:
“Summer in the Forest is an extraordinarily tender documentary that asks what it means to be human. Here, even the most gentle scenes raise mighty questions – The New York Times
it’s a calm, reflective film that aims to put you in a good mood” – Hollywood Reporter
Breakthrough
DRAMA
What it’s about:
Breakthrough is based on the inspirational true story of one mother’s unfaltering love in the face of impossible odds. When Joyce Smith’s adopted son John falls through an icy Missouri lake, all hope looks lost. Even though John lies lifeless for more than an hour, his mother refuses to lose faith and prays for a miracle. To the astonishment of everyone present, her prayers are answered as John’s heart suddenly begins to beat again, defying every expert, every case history, and every scientific prediction. Mere days after the accident, he will walk out of the hospital under his own power, completely healed.
Behind the scenes:
Roxann Dawson is directing from a script by Grant Nieporte, based on Joyce Smith’s book “The Impossible: The Miraculous Story of a Mother’s Faith and Her Child’s Resurrection.”
Running for Grace
DRAMA
What it’s about:
An orphan uses his blazing speed to deliver medicine to the coffee pickers in the mountains of Hawaii. Young love soon blossoms when he begins a forbidden romance with the daughter of a plantation owner.
What people are saying about it:
“Potter and Ritchie are attractive and engaging, making it extremely easy for a viewer to develop a rooting interest in the fate of the young lovers” – Variety
“a strong cast and positively gorgeous shots of the island setting” – Common Sense Media
“a beautiful portrait of Hawaii. David Cunningham does a great job directing the cast. Ryan Potter as Jo makes a great hero, and Jim Caviezel as Dr. Reyes makes a great villain…worth watching, both as a historical drama and as a morality tale refuting racism by the Grace of God” – movieguide.org
Overcomer
DRAMA
What it’s about:
High school basketball coach John Harrison and his team face an uncertain future when their town’s largest manufacturing plant shuts down unexpectedly. As hundreds of people move away, John reluctantly agrees to coach cross-country, a sport he doesn’t even like. His outlook soon changes when he meets Hannah Scott, an unlikely runner who pushes herself to the limit. Inspired by the words and prayers of a new friend, John starts to train Hannah for the biggest race of her young life.
What people are saying about it:
Known for their inspiring Christian films (“Fireproof,” “Courageous,” and the No.1 box office hit “War Room”), the Kendrick Brothers (Alex and Stephen Kendrick) aspire to have another blockbuster hit in their repertoire with “Overcomer.” – christianpost.com
The Islands
DRAMA
What it’s about:
Based on the incredible true-life story of Chiefess Kapiolani who descended into an active volcano to demonstrate her new-found faith and ushered in a new beginning in Hawaii. The Hawaiian Queen came to faith in Jesus Christ over two hundred years ago. Her conversion made such an impact that it brought Christianity to all of the Hawaiian islands. Her stance is “considered the greatest act of moral courage by any world leader.”
What people are saying about it:
“Academy-Award winning actress Mira Sorvino plays one of the Boston missionaries to arrive into Hawaii in 1821. The film has received a lot of positive media attention for using Native Hawaiians/Polynesians in the lead roles“- bizjournals.com