Behind the Scenes of "Pastor's Kid" Crafting Connection and Redemption

In times of fog, wisdom, and shared experiences are the guiding lights that help us find our way to self-acceptance. As we embark on this journey, we are joined by Emmy-winning director and cinematographer Benjamin Ironside Koppin and the ever-perceptive actress Courtney Bandeko. As we discuss unconditional self-love and the relentless pursuit of one's potential, we uncover the influences of family to mentors that have shaped our paths in both creativity and personal growth.

Examining the intricacies of constructing a faith-based film that truly reflects the human condition, we probe further into the heart of storytelling. It discusses how to balance genre expectations while confronting life's untidy realities, even when touching on faith's shadows. We will then engage in an impassioned dialog about providing solace and recognition to those disenchanted by religious institutions, validating their pain through our upcoming film, "Pastor's Kid: The Movie," and the promise of connection it holds for believers and skeptics alike.

Amidst the storm of criticism and conversation that swirls around Christian-themed art, we also navigate the choppy waters of our upcoming film. Embracing both dissent and support, we share how we've engaged with our community, finding that even amidst contention, there's a profound yearning for creative expressions of faith. As we prepare to unveil our narrative of redemption and divine love, join us in anticipation of a legacy that leaves no one unseen, unaccepted, or unloved.
IN THEATERS MARCH 15
https://pastorskidthemovie.com

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:59

My guest today is Benjamin Ironside Coppin. He's an award-winning director and cinematographer who intermixes humor and honesty with each of his films. As an Emmy-winning cinematographer, he shoots his own films, allowing his passion for collaborating with actors to push each other to find what is authentic within each moment. As a student of improvisation himself, he loves to allow actors of freedom to explore pursuing beautiful mistakes instead of manufactured moments. We welcome Benjamin to the podcast. Well, it's so good to have Benjamin and Courtney on the show. How are you doing Good? Thanks for having us.

Speaker 2: 1:41

Excited to be here, man, excited to talk to you.

Speaker 1: 1:44

So I'm going to ask each of you my favorite question to kind of get us to know you a little bit better. We'll start out with Courtney. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

Speaker 3: 1:58

Love yourself Unconditionally.

Speaker 1: 2:08

I like that too. You're a turn, Ben. I saw you were thinking deeply while she was figuring out her question.

Speaker 2: 2:15

I like the idea of like you can do anything you set your mind to, like the idea that like it takes work but there's no one who has the extra knowledge that you can't attain if you work at it and work to get there.

Speaker 1: 2:32

I like that. I like to ask my guest this question as well. Think of somebody I'll start out with you this time, ben Think of somebody who was really important in your life, your development, and just tell us a little bit about that person. Just kind of get a chance to know some. It's my chance to give my guest a chance to give a shout out to somebody who was really so influential in their life.

Speaker 2: 2:52

Yeah, if I'm allowed to group them as one person, I would honestly just say my family, my parents and my brother. You know we ran around with dad's VHS camera. We stole it from him and made movies as kids, and you know we had. You see, a lot of parents aren't supportive of their other kids in the arts or creating or making, and my family was supportive of us always creating, always making, and me and my brother would always make films and things together. So, yeah, my family as a whole. I know that doesn't consider one person, but as a unit, yeah, just the support of that.

Speaker 1: 3:25

That's so cool.

Speaker 3: 3:26

Courtney. Oh, wow, hands down, it just had to be my high school English and theater teacher. Her name's Jamie Young. I remember freshman, freshman English class the first day she reads us this children's book called Mrs Watson Once your Teeth, and I'll go into it real quick. The story is about Mrs Watson. She just has this reputation about her and you know she's this curmogen person and she wants your teeth. And then at the end of it we really learn about her and it's really just a reputation and the big lesson at the end of it was change your perspective.

Speaker 3: 4:09

And this and this teacher she was always very eccentric and very extravagant and very goofy and I really resonated with that because I was the same way and that's how I behaved in high school and she had everybody, all these 14 year old freshmen, stand up and shout change your perspective, change your perspective. Until we were all pretty sick of it. But I think that that's the sole reason why I go into everything just with such an open mind and why I'm so quick to dismantle any judgments that I've, that I, that I, that I, that I come at something with, so I, you know, even when somebody's telling me a story, you know I'll catch myself so often dipping into judgment and dipping into one, one, one one, and I go, oh no, I really shouldn't do that. I should really, I should really listen, I should really. And then if I want to stick to my opinion, then I will.

Speaker 1: 5:06

I love that. That's awesome. I love to ask people. This is a new question, so you guys get a fresh new question on my podcast because you're in the movie industry. What would be the worst movie sequel ever made?

Speaker 3: 5:19

The worst Hasn't it already been made?

Speaker 2: 5:30

Worst movie sequel ever made, like one that's existed or one that could possibly exist.

Speaker 1: 5:35

Yeah, I think you get, you get to pick yeah. I think I had to have eyes. One has been already been made, so what's been made?

Speaker 2: 5:43

So my favorite movie of all times jaws like the original jaws, oh okay and, and I always watch every summer, I watch the original jaws, I just love that movie. And then I always try to dip into the sequels. I always try because I, you know, I'm like, oh, I want some more jaws. And then I put in jaws too, or and they're just bad, they're just like don't, just don't act as if they don't exist. Enjoy, jaws is what it is, and just just. You know, those were fan films that were made the sequels.

Speaker 3: 6:10

So I Wonder if you know how Incredibles the incredible sequel was such a success. We waited a decade for it. Yeah what if it was Incredibles 1.5, just like whatever movie was in between All that right? Maybe. Yeah, she's going through like a really petulant puberty phase and he's just maybe just a dash, a dash, a dash spin-off. Dash just him, him misbehaving actually. I think that'd be actually really cool. Make it please.

Speaker 1: 6:51

I know what I'm thinking about. That hasn't been made, but would be a horrible follow-up movie would be forest gum too.

Speaker 2: 7:00

Yeah, yeah, I could see that.

Speaker 3: 7:04

Him fathering Haley Joel Osment.

Speaker 2: 7:08

Did you see? Saturday Night Live just did a sketch where they had forest gum and it was like the it's like the 10-year reunion or 20 year high school reunion and his bully like steps up on stage, he's like what's forest been up to and everyone's like he did this and he did this. He's like really.

Speaker 1: 7:28

I love that. So let's get into your movie, because I'm curious. I think this is be a. This is why we've kind of brought you guys on what led you to make the movie the pastures kid.

Speaker 2: 7:38

Yeah, so a pastor's kid is based on the true testimony of one of my friends. So, yeah, I worked in the film industry for quite a while, ended up at a church doing video. It was a church called Mariners Church out here in California and so we filmed testimony videos constantly and put them out, you know, every weekend and one Easter. Of course we're like rushing around trying to get a testimony video that we need for our Easter service big Easter service and a friend of mine that I'd worked with this whole time. I never heard a story but she offered up. She's like I'll share my story. So we sat down and we filmed her journey and essentially the story that we we filmed is the story of pastors kid is. I was so moved by hearing.

Speaker 2: 8:18

Her experience Is basically she was raised with an alcoholic mother, had to raise her own little brother. Mom then becomes a Christian, you know, gets clean, becomes an executive pastor at a church or she handles kind of the business side of a church and she's like everyone praised my mom as being this amazing conversion story. All the while no one asked about my pain that I went through having her as an alcoholic mother during that time and having to be the other parent, you know, to my little brother. And so she goes, you know, there's then there's a switch, as I'm in high school, of this mom that I was waking up because she was passed out drunk. I was having to wake her up to go to work. Now, all of a sudden, I want to go out past eight o'clock to be with my friends and my mom's saying no, no, no, you can't go out past eight.

Speaker 2: 9:56

And so for her, she internally felt this hypocrisy from the church, you know, and this hypocrisy from that experience of she's like God didn't see my pain, the church didn't see my pain. So I did everything I could in college to push my mom away, to push God away. And then eventually some incidents happened with her in college dealing drugs, partying too hard, different experiences that kind of forced her to relook at her past and deal with some of the trauma she was raised with. And then at the end we don't want to spoil it too much, but perhaps she has her own spiritual experience or epiphany that that helps her realize there's a different path that she could go down. And so, anyways, I got to film that story while at that church had no idea that was her journey and and I just felt like so many people could relate to this story if told in an honest way. And we asked her if we could make the film and she said yes.

Speaker 1: 10:49

So that was that's kind of the journey of how we got the film started at least I look, I love saw the trailer for the film and One of the things I noticed was that it's got our rating on it and you I'm assuming, as a filmmaker making a Christian film, that that probably caused you a little bit of angst going oh gosh, do I pull the story back so that it's a PG story? How do you tell us a little bit about that journey for you personally?

Speaker 2: 11:18

Oh, it's been terrible, terrible and amazing all at the same time. I didn't agree when hearing her story because she was such a close co-worker of mine and friend of mine that it's like I felt we needed to honor her story by telling it in the most raw and honest way possible. Every time, like, while working on the script, we tried to pull back or we tried to, you know, make it not real. And I want to clarify, like we're rated R for language and drug use is basically I just felt the need that, if we're stepping into this drug culture, if we're stepping into this lifestyle, that we needed people to speak how people normally speak and we needed to make it just like a real, the way I say it is. It's like a real movie that you would see, that has faith in it, like that was the goal, kind of going into it.

Speaker 2: 12:05

And what was a little frustrating is we pitched it to several Christian film producers all around Hollywood as I met with, like if you, yeah, I've met with a lot of them and every time we tell them that it's like we're making this film that, like the goal is it's just a normal movie that has faith in it and it can bridge that gap. It can be that movie in the middle that both a Christian can watch and someone who's been burnt by the church can watch and experience and feel like it's honest. And every Christian producer we met with it was water it down to PG and sell a book with it. That was the thing that everybody said is like sell a book, sell Bible curriculum, you know all of this stuff. And so what I learned is there is this machine behind the Christian film industry, and I'm not trying to like poo poo that or be negative to that in any way. It's just to me that felt manufactured and it didn't feel like the right approach. But I'm not gonna lie to you.

Speaker 2: 12:59

I had a final meeting that I was told that and that we could have gotten maybe some pretty big funding if we would have done that. And I called my wife and I was like, do we do this or do we make it in this R rated way that we feel like called to do? And she was like we do it ourselves, don't worry about it. And so, yeah, that's what we did with Pastors, kids. So it's definitely meant to be as real as possible, as honest as possible, and though that may be uncomfortable for some people. We've been saying like don't feel like you're forced to go see this movie, but maybe in your head think of if there's someone in your life that it would be great for you to take to see this movie, or you invite to this movie that wouldn't watch a traditional faith film.

Speaker 1: 13:39

So Right, you have any thoughts, courtney?

Speaker 3: 13:43

Oh no, it's just funny, cause we're definitely breaking the mold here, or we're just chipping off a little part of the mold. I said this if faith film is the big umbrella term, we're trying to just add a little subgenre to it where these stories can be told in a real way. Cause, ben, what was the phrase you've been saying? There's faith in family, which we love. We love that genre. I mean, I think it accomplishes many amazing things and a lot of people feel seen by those movies, a lot of people resonate with those movies. But then there's a lot of people who don't. I think there's a lot of people who you know they aren't represented by faith films, just in general.

Speaker 3: 14:33

And then this is for them. This is say, hey, you can be imperfect, you can make mistakes. That doesn't have any bearing on whether or not you're worthy of love or acceptance or whether or not you belong here or anything like that. Just, hey, here's one story that maybe is like yours and maybe it's not, maybe it's like somebody you know, but then it's funny. So we're definitely breaking a mold. And when you do that, you know there's pushback, there's confusion, there's what are you trying to do? You know you just run into so many things. And it's funny, ben, because I remember you telling me a story about okay, they either wanted you to water it down or they wanted you to make it like breaking bad. Oh yeah, well, maybe, maybe, maybe she wants the cartel or something, yes, and then so it was.

Speaker 2: 15:31

That was a no. They literally were like the cartel is going to be like coming by her window and she's going to be like I got to like fight them off and I'm like what are you talking about? They're like it's the Christian breaking bad and I'm just like no, we're not doing that, so they just kept. I mean, and rightly so.

Speaker 3: 15:48

I understand the machine in this way. I understand things need a genre, but it so. It was funny just which end of the spectrum people wanted to push us in. But it's hard because you know things need a genre for it to make sense to be in a category, because people need to know what they're going into. But then we, it doesn't have a genre, one we're creating and then it's just. It's just an always an interesting sticky journey when you do some try to do something different.

Speaker 2: 16:23

Well, even when I worked at that church, it's like I filmed so many testimonies that I was like I filmed over 200 while I was there at that church and I was like if this was told in a raw, real way, this one's like an Oscar winner. If this one was told in a raw, real way, this could be an Oscar winner. And I think so often, you know, because faith and family has become so paired together, it's like you can't have one without the other. When we make every story PG, we lose some of that depth. You know what I mean. That could.

Speaker 2: 16:49

That makes the story powerful, and not that every film needs to be R rated or not, that we want to go overly explicit, right, with the content we put in our films. But I think there is a beauty in showing the realities of the darkness that God steps into for people and that's where we get a lot of power for our story. But when your character, you know, is in the before Christ, you know a part of their life and it's just as clean and perfect as the after Christ part, you know it's like well then, why did Jesus need to come for this person in general If they were just as good as they are. Now. You know what I mean, and so, anyways, that's, I think, a little trope that we get stuck in sometimes.

Speaker 3: 17:29

No, and I think, quite frankly and this is what we hope that I think the Christian community is hungry for something like this. I mean, it's what we hope, is what I think. I think we want to be real and I think we're done pretending I mean, I at least them, you know, cause it gets kind of exhausting. Okay, can we just be us?

Speaker 1: 17:56

Yeah, as a pastor, I run across, like you, talk about a lot of stories of people who were outside the church and then came back, and I think it's hard for Christians who maybe have spent in the church, been in church so long that all their friends are Christian, and so they do have friends who are the Christian film artists, people who they've been crisp as long before Christ. You know, I was just a little bit like this and then now I'm Just a little bit better version of this. Yeah, but when we bring in people who are, who have struggled, who have drifted away, who have Struggle with their faith, who got involved in the world's culture, their stories are messy and I always told my congregation Missions is messy. People's stories are messy and if we really want to be a church that reaches out to our community, we're gonna have some messy stories and some messy lives in our pews.

Speaker 1: 18:47

We're gonna have, at times, colorful language. They they haven't. You know right, god tamed the tongue last and and wallet, you know those, those were the things that we have to be willing to understand that their journey wasn't your journey and you're right. I think people will see in a movie like this that the people were trying to reach are the ones who have gone through the stories that you're telling. This pastures kids story there's, and we in our country now there is more more drug deal, drug use. There's more broken lives or more Dysfunctional families. So, yeah, a lot of the people we're gonna bring in are gonna look like probably the story you're telling.

Speaker 2: 19:24

Well, and it's crazy too to even think so we shot this movie several, several years ago. It's just been a process getting it released and it's crazy even seeing the fit, like I don't want to get political, I mean, but the fentanyl stuff that's been coming in too and how, to me, that even has added this extra layer of like some of that's being hidden within cocaine and some of these other things, and so this lifestyle that we're viewing now of her life almost seems a little bit more dangerous and risky than it did back when we filmed the film in some ways and so but but just kind of piggybacking off what you're saying is you know, we had a chance to screen this film for conservative Midwest Christian ladies, like older conservative Christian ladies, and we let them know what it was gonna be up front. You know we were very clear about it and they went in and I was very thankful they went into it With an open mind and we got these reviews back and you know, some of them like didn't appreciate the language. They're like I understood why you did it, but they go.

Speaker 2: 20:18

I knew a person like this in college, or I had experienced this type of thing in college, or maybe even I was this person in college and what we found is that it allowed these kind of more conservative Christian older Ladies to be able to open up and share their own stories that they have felt like they've had to hide for all of these years. And so for me, that's kind of made me realize that, whether we like it or not, everybody has an R rated story. Everybody has experienced darkness, they've experienced language, they've experienced all of these things. Whether you've participated or not. You know that's a whole different discussion, but it's like you have touched and seen the darkness of the real world. And so if we can step into this film or use this film even as a way to say, man, if God can use her story, then God can use my story and I can open up more and share about the things I've struggled with or things that I've gone through, and not have to put that that false. You know, face up anymore that wall.

Speaker 3: 21:10

Yeah, and we can honor and set honor and celebrate Everybody's journey, because I really think all the Midley, that's what it's all about anyway. And then just we, we hear all these stories of born-again Christians and they're always so beautiful and of somebody, who, who makes, who's made some mistakes. And how do we then honor who they are today if we white? What? What? The term whitewash? Yeah, I think so how do we honor who they are today if we Sanitize sanitize.

Speaker 3: 21:42

Yeah, if we sanitize there every step of the way, that got them there, not to not to glorify it, but to say, hey, did you just tell the truth about him. This is the things I've done, these things I've lived through. And hey, here I am today. You know, it's just way more powerful than like, hey, I'm, I've been this way forever and you should have been to, or something you know yeah message gets, I Think, lost if, if you start to Whittle away parts of the truth.

Speaker 2: 22:16

Hmm.

Speaker 1: 22:17

Yeah, I Always say that every Conversion is a miracle. It's a miracle of the Holy Spirit moving. Some of them just see more Larger miracles than others because of where they came from. But you're right, I think we need to tell these stories, because that is a lot of people in our community or friends or family and To let them know that Even if you've been down this far, god can still use, can. God's guy will still look for you, god will search you, god will still find you and it's still possible for you to become an Initiative with him, and so your story is not so broken that God will ignore you.

Speaker 2: 22:56

I think that's important story for us to tell well, even in the testimony I filmed, she talked about when she kind of has this moment at the end where maybe she has a spiritual experience.

Speaker 2: 23:06

I'm trying not to spoil it too much, but at the end she has a moment, I'll put it that way, and she basically said, you know that at that moment I felt seen and fully seen, fully known, fully heard and fully loved.

Speaker 2: 23:19

And you know, courtney, you said in some other interviews it's like who is not striving for that, who does not feel that way, where we want to feel that way, we want to feel fully seen and fully known and fully loved, and that's one of those things that I think, telling the story in this way, the hope is that both people of faith and people not of faith can go to this movie and whether you fully agree with, with, you know, religion or the faith being presented in the film, that my hope was once.

Speaker 2: 23:47

It like if an atheist sat down in our film. By the time they got to the end of that movie, I wanted to sit them, to sit here and say, yes, please choose that religion, please choose that faith like God, please, you know, step into her life, because they don't, they, they don't want to see her continue down the path she has gone and no matter what the other trajectory would be. Our hope is that you know the audience will sit here and say take that path To get away from what you, what you've been, because going back to the lifestyle that she's been presenting has proven to be empty and and void of any of meaning for her.

Speaker 3: 24:19

No, and then and that, and then you do see her longing for it. That's that, throughout, throughout the the herd whole journey is. You know you, you see you have these moments with her where she, she, she long. You see her missing it, you see, you see, you see her hear something and she's like you know when she's going down this path. But every now and then there's this, there's tiny wake-ups throughout.

Speaker 1: 24:51

What did mean for you, courtney, to be part of this film? I'm just curious. You know it's it's one thing to direct it, but what? What impact did it have on you being in?

Speaker 3: 24:58

it, it's a big one. Well, I Let me start with the cliche of it's just an honor, and I mean that, but it just to be a part of something. That's where the intentions I'm gonna get emotional. Where the intentions are just so true, where the intentions are just hey, there's something here that's not happening. There's people who are lost and we're trying to go get them to be a part of something like that, to be part of something that's just trying to make a small impact somewhere. I think that just meant to the world, to me. I'm so sorry.

Speaker 1: 25:48

As an artist. No, it's fine.

Speaker 3: 25:49

Because I think you get into a creative life for this and then I think you get distracted, just like Riley, by shiny things, by things that feel good, like Hollywood and all this other things, but to say, hey, we're trying to do something honest. It might not work, it might be a bad idea, but let's see if we can accomplish it. It's just so you know what I'm here for. There is one other thing that I was gonna say, but I got distracted by it.

Speaker 1: 26:27

That was awesome I might melt that out of here.

Speaker 3: 26:33

What was it? What was it? What was it? Come back to me, I'll add to it.

Speaker 2: 26:37

I wanted to add you know, kind of when, courtney, I originally sat down as we were talking about who is this film for and there was a family member in my life that had basically shared They'd kind of deconstructed it, burned by the church, walked away from the faith, and I basically had told, told Courtney that, like you know this, if that's the one person I want to hit, and that there are so many other people in our culture, in our world, like deconstruction, religious deconstruction is a movement right now on social media and in the world, and I'm like how can we help those people feel seen and feel heard and for them to be able to step into the film and we're not denying the pain that they have felt in the church and the judgment that they felt in the church, but yet we're also saying you don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Speaker 2: 27:21

Is that you can explore faith, you can explore a relationship with God and Jesus, apart from that church that was burnt, that was mean to you or burnt you, and that you can feel seen here and you can feel, you know that, that we're not just Trying to sweep that under the rug and say it doesn't matter and I don't feel like we've seen that, because in film it's either going to go so far that says all religion bad, all belief bad, like that's going to be the perspective, or you're going to make a Christian film, a traditional Christian film, that's going to say get over it, it's no big deal, and our film? I didn't want to sit. I wanted to sit in the middle and say your pain is valid and let's deal with it and talk about it.

Speaker 1: 27:59

It's funny you mentioned that I've actually had this on my heart to connect with people who have either walked away from the church or walked away and came back, and so I'm actually actually reached out on social media to just a couple Christian groups. Hey, I'm looking for people to come on and do a podcast episode with me on why you left the church and, for those who came back, why you came back. And I'm anticipating I'm going to hear a lot of what you just described that there was a lot of hurt, a lot of pain, and I wanted to do it because I don't think the church has heard from those people that have walked away and understand their pain, because when I even bring up to the church, how are you connecting with those people? A lot of times the church just says, well, they need to just get over it and come back. The church is the best place in the world to be.

Speaker 1: 28:46

I'm like, yeah, but they were hurt by the church. Are you ready to hear their stories? And so I want to give an avenue for them to tell their stories on the podcast. So a little bit of a different shift, but my goal still is the same thing is how do we bridge? The build a bridge between what the church was to them and what it can be again or is again. It's awesome.

Speaker 3: 29:08

I remembered what I wanted to touch on last. Oh good, I think it has to do with everything you just said, like and how. We're just trying to do something small and because you this is, I think, an old adage that you can't, perhaps, maybe you can't change the whole world, but you can change one person's whole entire world.

Speaker 3: 29:31

And just so many people. There's been so many people in my life who have changed my whole world and I just I think those people they're not. They're not Gandhi, they're not anything. There's just been people in my life who've just had such an impact. Back to the question that you asked at the beginning is just that those people, they can be so influential on one person, and then can that be enough?

Speaker 1: 29:55

That's awesome. That's awesome. So, if, what are you guys excited about in this season besides this film coming out on March 15th?

Speaker 2: 30:03

Yes, yes, I don't right now. I have blinders on so I don't see anything past March 15th and this weekend. But I, I mean we've been doing the podcast tour and it's been very exciting to talk to Christians and to talk to people and we even had, you know, someone say I went into the film as skeptic and I came out a supporter and and that's kind of been exciting for me to see that I do. I truly believe the majority, like majority of Christians, are ready for something like this and even when we're, we're posting our ads and running our ads are on social media for the release. You know I'm the one answering all the comments.

Speaker 2: 30:39

You know, and the comments and and I'll say you know we've gotten a handful of comments that have just been like how can you be a Christian and make an RA in movie, or how can you? I've been told I've been in bed with the devil. I'm going to tell you I have not. I just want to make it clear I have not been in bed with the devil, and you know I. But I'll answer these questions. You know we have a handful of comments that have been those kinds of comments and what's been beautiful is I don't let it sit and I and I have discussions with these people. I say, you know, the Holy Spirit led us to make the film in this way. This is why we did these things, and then they'll come back with something snoddy, you know, and then I'll respond again and my goal in this discussion is that there is beauty that can be had within the church, about art and creativity and what is too far and what is not too far, what are things we can explore. And I feel like we just haven't had that discussion in so long and so really trying to use these comments to be a way of cultivating that discussion of maybe this is too far for you and I respect that, but can we sit here and say that God can use something that goes dark like this, that shows the reality, like this, and what's been honestly so moving to see, is people change in the comments is is the majority of them will say I don't agree with it, but I'm praying for you guys and that it's successful.

Speaker 2: 31:56

You know, like I understand it now and and even having people that I don't know come in and defend us has been really interesting too. And the comments where they're like have you read the Bible. The Bible's all rated, you know, and and so I and I would say the majority of it has been respectful. You know, it takes a little while to get there, but it's been really lovely to see just that the majority of people are in support of what we're trying to do and they understand it and and they kind of come to our defense. And then even just to see those harsh comments, we're changing minds and changing hearts in the way that we have this discourse. So I hope that, honestly, I hope the movie success, success. I hope it reaches the right people, but I also hope that it can start this discussion within the church about. You know, can we start telling some of these stories a little more? Are in real. So long winded answer, but yeah no, it's good.

Speaker 1: 32:45

You mentioned earlier that someone suggested that you, alongside this film, put together Bible studies content. Is that also a part of what you guys are going to be doing?

Speaker 2: 33:00

Nope. Basically, I talked to the person whose story it's based on and it's, you know, it's her story, but then there's also aspects of her mom's story in it as well, because her mom has an experience that leads to all this. And so I had said, like you know, I said do you want to write a book about it? And she's like nope. And she's like my mom, she's like my mom has thought about writing a book at some point, but she, that's, that's way far down the line. And and I just you know, for us it was this idea of like.

Speaker 2: 33:27

We wanted the film to stand on its own and not not feel like it tastes like the Christian film industry, if that makes sense. We wanted to be, because the moment you start tying it to things like that, general audiences who aren't a faith are going to smell it a mile away and they're going to sit here and say this feels like propaganda or this is pushing selling of thing. And I'm trying to. I'm not trying to say that all films that do that are propaganda or trying to sell, but for us I just worry with the audience. We're going for that. It would.

Speaker 3: 33:58

It would feel disingenuine, yeah it's a bit like it was a slippery slope no, not slippery slope, but we, we definitely wanted to film with no agenda Other than hey, this exists, this is, this is reality and you know any possible thing, or hey, this is a little kind of has an agenda we kind of wanted to stay away from.

Speaker 1: 34:23

I get that. I like that. So here's your chance. You have 30 seconds to look. Give a message to the world. You go first, ben.

Speaker 2: 34:32

Oh, boy, and this is just like. This is just like positive message.

Speaker 1: 34:36

Any message you want, you got. You have the platform for the world for 30 seconds. You go.

Speaker 2: 34:41

Oh, boy, by hope, as anyone listening to this would know that God wants to have a relationship with them right now and that he is yearning for them right now, and there's nothing that he hasn't seen, doesn't know that you've done and that your purpose, you can have purpose and value from a God that loves you very, very much. Is that good?

Speaker 1: 35:02

Great Courtney.

Speaker 3: 35:04

And I'm, I'm gonna actually spin something you said, keith, earlier. I'm gonna seize one half of a sentence. You said is that you're not so bad. You're just not so bad, I mean, because I think we, I'm I'll speak just personally I just get, I can get so nitpicky about myself and so self-loathing that you know that I just don't get productive, or I just I, I can think all the things that Riley thought, but you know, you're just not so bad.

Speaker 1: 35:37

I like that. My other favorite question I'd ask my guests is this one what do you want your legacy to be?

Speaker 3: 35:47

You ask the best questions. Oh wow, maybe it's because I just woke up, but but I, I ultimately think that anybody I've encountered in my life, I hope that they felt, I hope they feel seen and I hope they feel accepted and like, like, like there were, like they're worthy of given being given the benefit of the doubt, just like anybody else, like we're all, we all belong here and it doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter where you've come from. I think I try to do this in my life. I try to take everybody for who they are and it doesn't matter If you got a million dollars, it doesn't matter have two dollars, it's just I, I hope I, like anybody I've ever encountered, you know, at the end of my life, just feels that I've just taken them for who they are.

Speaker 1: 36:54

I love that what you got from me, Ben.

Speaker 2: 36:58

You know, I think if there is like a legacy and I don't know if this is tying it too much to the movie but I like that idea of creating art that that people can revisit down the line, even when I'm not here, and have it feel like we were trying to do something or that we had a purpose behind what we are making and that it can resonate with people long after I'm gone.

Speaker 1: 37:23

I love it. So for those who want to see the movie, where can they look for the pastor's kid and where can they connect with you guys on social media?

Speaker 2: 37:33

Yeah, so pastorskidthemoviecom is where you can go to see a lot of our content. We even have the original testimony video that I filmed while working at that church. You can see that I've I've put a little thing out that says spoiler warning, because it does tell the entire story If you go and check that out. But yeah, tickets should go on sale. Today is the plan right now and our weekend is March 15th. We have March 15th, 16th and 17th are is our weekend, those are our days and basically we have to sell out those tickets, get those tickets sold and if that is a successful weekend, they extend us to more theaters and more places. So right now we're in select theaters that first weekend in March 15th and we're just pushing everyone to say try to show up that weekend. And then, yeah, hopefully it continues. And then we're on social media as pastorskidthemovie as well.

Speaker 3: 38:21

Yeah, we're on Fandango. Yeah, you can just go to Fandango and just wherever movie tickets are bought, you can find our movie and then, yeah, if you want to hang out with me on the internet, I'm on Instagram. I'm bandicoot as my last name within another OT, bnd, ek, oot, and that's primary, the prep are kind of the only platform I'm on. I keep thinking I'll make a TikTok and I might, but and I'll be the same handle that eventually but Instagram.

Speaker 1: 38:51

Well, thank you guys so much for coming on and and I pray that your movie does resonate, because I think it's an important story to tell we need to know that we're not all shiny and good back where we're coming from, but that God reaches down into the depth so, whatever our issues are, and draws us out and shows us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that we're loved and valued and cared for, and so I pray that people get that message from your movie.

Speaker 2: 39:19

Thank you, thank you. I appreciate that man.