More than twenty years ago the siblings and shepherds Alex and Stephen Kendrick They ventured into the world of cinema Christian to share stories that celebrated their faith but also served as a source of escape and entertainment for all viewers.
Since then the siblings have been in charge of directing, writing, editing and even producing their movies through his production company, Kendrick Brothers Productions, and their creations have collected collectively more than $190 million worldwide.
The most recent creation of the siblings Kendrick is “The Forging“, film starring Aspen Kennedy, Cameron Arnett and Priscilla Shirer, which tells the history of Isaiah Wright (Kennedy), a directionless young man who, after graduating from high school, is motivated to make better decisions in life.
Both Alex and Stephen share their experiences by making your most recent production and how this film project that they started decades ago has evolved.
How has the industry changed? cinema Christian independent since they both started doing movies? Has it become easier to get support financial for this type of productions?
ALEX KENDRICK: When we start doing movies Very few Christian films were released, especially in theaters. We also saw that the quality It was also at an early stage, not high caliber as most people would like.
Our movies They also had to start at that level and with each production We have tried to increase all aspects of quality that we have been able to, such as cinematography, acting, directing, edition and soundtrack.
That’s happened in the last two decades that we’ve been doing movies. We have also seen an increase in quality from others filmmakerslike the siblings Irwin and Kevin Downs in Kingdom.
The movie“The Case for Christ” was very strong. “Unsung Hero” was good with Josh Walsh and Ken Kendrickand then “Sound of Freedom” was really good. “Sound of Hope” was also a movie solid.
So we see more being made movies of quality and the level is increasingly higher, although there are also more people entering this field.
Many of them are young filmmakers who are dealing with search of that level of excellence.
Overall, we believe there is a positive direction and we could say that it has become easier to get support financial As more investors have opted for the development of new stories and movies.
Do you think that the public modern is more open to movies Christian?
STEPHEN KENDRICK: I would say yes. We have heard that the desire to see movies Christians in the United States increased on par with the quality of the ribbons that are being brand new.
When “War Room” premiered, many people who normally wouldn’t go to see a movie Christian ended up seeing her in the cinema or on home video.
Additionally, long-term responses on Rotten Tomatoes have improved than the public think about the movies. These include both theater reviews and home video reviews.
Due to increased budgets and quality in acting and cinematography the desire to see this kind of movies has also increased.
We are excited to see how that interest increases as people’s lives are impacted by these movies and they are inspired not only by their faith, but also by their relationships.
How would you describe the process to write the scripts of his movies? The fact that they are siblings helps the development of your ideas?
AK: Absolutely, the process Scripture for us begins with prayer, asking God a clear direction. And he has been faithful in pointing us in the right direction.
So Steven and I love it work together because, although we have the same interests, our abilities are different. Steven is very good at incorporating biblical truth into the concepts of our history and I enjoy the narrative.
Steven especially helps with the biblical concepts and the books, the ministry books, the curriculums that we do. He is also a better producer. So I dedicate myself to directing and edition.
Steven focus in producing and writing the books of the ministry. And that’s why we love the fact that we are strong in different areas to help each other.
We also have an older brother, Shannon, who is very organized and administrative, so he’s very good with keeping all the books and permits, the legal stuff, making sure everything is in its place. That’s why we love it work together like siblings.
How did you get involved with the production of “The forge“? Why did you decide to tell this history?
SK: After releasing “Overcomer” and “Lifemark” in theaters, we began the process of prayer.
Alex began to develop ideas of the history of an older, successful businessman investing in a young man who has no father figure in his life and not only does he need training on the job, but he needs to be called to godly adulthood.
This history It would later expand to “The forging“, which is a group of men working together to sharpen each other and disciple the next generation.
As we developed the historywe saw that it aligned with the way Jesus exercised ministry and his great commission. That’s why we were excited to work on such an important topic and God continued to confirm that this was the right direction as we moved forward with the process of writing.
In “The forja“the paper protagonist of Isaiah Wright is played by Aspen Kennedy. What can you tell us about the experience of work with the?
AK: Aspen Kennedy was an answer to prayer for us. It was a blessing work with the. Aspen is very talented, and we now consider him a friend and a wonderful actor.
He’s newly married, I think he got married a little over a year ago, and we think he’s going to have a big impact on everything he does. Working with him was a great privilege and one blessing for us and we would do it all again.
Could you briefly describe your best memories to do this movie?
SK: I would say that, for me, I really enjoy when God appears in some way in the set and surprises us unexpectedly with some kind of blessing.
A location may open that is better than we expected to shoot a scene. It could also be how changes the weather at just the right time to allow us to film.
Sometimes we also see members of the team inspired by the message of the movie o give their lives to Jesus o experience personal redemption or healing in their lives while interacting with other believers in the set.
I loved seeing how the things came together. scenes. After each day of filming, we watched scenes edited from the previous day’s shots and it was emotional to see how in the edition God He was blessing the work of our hands.
Most importantly, we love the fact that this movie is being brand new in cinemas and shepherds They can use it to expand or ignite the vision of discipleship in their churches.
Both are involved in different aspects of their movies such as writing, directing and productionbut sometimes they also act. As they decide Which of you will also be in front of the camera?
AK: That’s where you want to lean on each other’s strengths. Our best-selling books were written primarily by Stephen. Although we both work on them, Stephen carries the burden of doing that.
I am very grateful because he has a gift and the Lord gives you a deeper level of understanding.
So although I could have them In fact, I think they are better because Stephen carried much of the burden of those books ministerial. “The Love Dare”, “Resolution for Men”, or “The Battle Plan for Prayer” are some of them.
So I, who enjoy the narration of stories and aspects such as coming up with the script, acting, directing and editing because they are all driven by the historyI tend to enjoy acting, but only if it fits me. If I can do justice to the role I enjoy it, but I don’t have to do it all the time.
I’m barely into “Fireproof.” Neither of them acts in “The forging“So, if it makes sense for me to play a character, I’m happy to do it. If not, we’ll be happy to just direct and produce the movie.
