Just so, Facing the Giants has more meaning and surprises than many films with budgets that are 500 times larger. The football action, shot by director of photography Bob Scott, whose credits as a cameraman include Friday Night Lights, Any Given Sunday, The Replacements and Days of Thunder, is very watchable and suspenseful. Even the crusty suits at Sam Goldwyn Films think so, which is why they are distributing it nationally, partnering with Provident Films, a new Christian film distributor.
The movie has advance support from communities that have agreed to buy at least 1,000 tickets. As of last week, sponsors of 29 Facing the Giants Booster Clubs from Harrisburg, Illinois (pop. 9,628) to Shreveport, Louisiana (392,302) had pledged to pack the house after viewing advance copies of the film. In some instances, 100 donors bought 10 tickets each.
The Kendricks’ previous full-length feature, Flywheel (2003) also backed by their church with volunteers and money, cost only $20,000. It’s the uplifting and unexpectedly inventive story of a used car salesman who finds out the answer to Jesus’ question: “What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
University of Georgia football coach Mark Richt was so impressed by Flywheel that he agreed to do two cameo appearances in the new venture.
If the Giants movie succeeds in widening the Kendricks’ appeal, we might see Flywheel take another spin at new audiences.
Then the brothers could put some real money into their next production, say a cool quarter million.