By: Justin Rouillon
“Even as a child I was enamoured with how stories were told on the big screen.”
That’s director, actor and producer Alex Kendrick (pictured above) speaking about how he first fell in love with the art of film.
Alex, along with his brothers Stephen and Shannon grew up in a house without a TV. A trip to the cinema to watch the latest blockbuster was a special event in the Kendrick household. Over the last 15 years the brothers have made a string of successful films including Facing the Giants, Fireproof, Courageous and the recent #1 US box office hit War Room.
And although their movies now fill theatres around the world, they had humble beginnings with 2003’s Flywheel. With a budget of only $20,000 the film was only thought of as a one-off production.
“Our first movie was only ever intended for the community we lived in. We were in one theatre and we thought that was going to be the end of it.”
But it was the DVD market that took off and sales of over 1 million copies meant that the Kendrick Brothers could move onto their next project Facing the Giants.
“With every movie we learnt so much and were able to apply that to the next movie.”
What Defines You?
Their latest film is Overcomer which releases on August 22nd, and tells the story of high school basketball coach John Harrison. Coach Harrison is played by Alex Kendrick, and his characters life changes overnight when his basketball team and state championship dreams are crushed under the weight of unexpected news.
“When a large factory closes down and moves away so do a lot of families and the coach ends up losing his best players. He wrestles with his identity because when a man is put in a situation where he has no chance of winning that’s frustrating. He really struggles with who he is.”
Throughout the movie Coach Harrison learns that his identity cannot be in his circumstances or in his position.
“All of us tend to put our identity into status or finances or the way we feel. So, it’s really a movie about our identity and what we allow to define ourselves.”
The movie also has an Australian connection with Hillsong Worship being featured in the soundtrack with their song Who You Say I Am.
Overcomer is in cinemas from August 22nd and you can find a theatre by going to the Overcomer Australia website.
Article supplied with thanks to 96five.
About the author: Justin Rouillon is a senior producer and content creator who works in broadcast radio.