Since the release of films such as Courageous and Fireproof, the idea of church communities backing the production of movies is no longer a foreign concept.
One filmmaker decided it was time for Catholic parishes to join the trend.
Kevis Antonio said that when he went to a screening of Courageous, a movie produced with the support of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, he thought to himself, “Wouldn’t be great if the Catholic Church would join the battle against Hollywood and make films?”
“As a Catholic,” he said, “I saw a huge opportunity to fill a gap. I felt the desire to reach young adults. I want to make a difference.”
Antonio reached out to his own parish, St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church, one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
The community has now fully committed to help bring the first major motion picture originating from a Catholic parish to the big screen.
The film project — with the working title Five Blocks Away — has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise a modest amount of money to produce what is called a “proof of concept trailer.” This will help those involved share this undertaking more competitively within the industry.
Two of the lead actors have already been committed. Both are professional young actors with a growing filmography. And Antonio has enlisted the talent of Emmy Award-winning writer Erika Hill to work on the script.
The Kickstarter goal is $12,000 by Oct. 13.
