Dear Friends,
A Happy Thanksgiving! I’ve just returned from the airport where granddaughter, Olivia (freshman at U. of Mich.) and our “special” daughter, Danelle, are returning to San Diego to celebrate with family there. A dozen or so other family members will be celebrating here in Indy. Before dessert, we’ll go around the table and share individually what we are most thankful for. It’s a cherished tradition.
May this Thanksgiving be a special one for you—full of family, friends, and rich traditions. If there’s any chaos in your life (like in mine on occasion!) that seems insurmountable, turn to Christ who is “restoring “ and “making all things new” every day! All we need do is whisper a prayer, and the Spirit will be there to bless, encourage, and comfort us.
Thank you for your prayers while I was in LA “shopping” our movie around. Below are the highlights (and some lowlights) from that trip. As always, you remain in my constant prayers!
I am most grateful for YOU this Thanksgiving season!
Pressing On,
D. Paul
COORDINATED CHAOS
Week before last, I picked up a canvas tote bag that was being given out gratis by a distribution company displaying their movies at the American Film Market in Los Angeles. Inscribed on it were the words, “Coordinate the Chaos,” a suitable descriptor for the hundreds of international distributors, buyers, movie producers, agents, and actors grazing around the lobby, suites, hallways, and bars of the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel, located appropriately on the Avenue of the Stars. Three days of heavy rain exacerbated the claustrophobic atmosphere, with the outdoor spaces essentially shutdown to all but those desperate souls in need of a cigarette, a toke, or a quick vape. Getting a reservation at the Lumiere restaurant was next to impossible (though Rea, the general manager, did her best to accommodate everyone!), and the two bars in the hotel were usually 2-to-3 deep beginning at 11:00 A.M. till late at night. By the time I and Gen LaGreca, the executive producer/screenwriter of our sci-fi adventure movie, Fugitive from Asteron, had registered for the AFM, all discount rooms at the Fairmont had been taken, though a few, “last minute” rooms were available for a thousand bucks a night. I crashed with a friend in West Hollywood.
In many ways, the somewhat “coordinated chaos” of the American Film Market is reflective of our modern age. From the senseless violence on our streets to the shameless vitriol in the halls of Congress, nothing seems “fixed” anymore, as the theologian and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, observed while living under the coordinated chaos of the Nazis—a highly orchestrated chaos—mirrored by their perfectly synchronized trains transporting millions to the screaming horrors of the gas chambers. Bonhoeffer understood the reason for such chaos and wrote from his prison cell: “Is not the loss of…‘moral memory’ responsible for the ruin of all obligations, of love, marriage, friendship, and loyalty? Nothing sticks fast, nothing holds firm; everything is here today and gone tomorrow. But the good things of life—truth, justice, and beauty—all great accomplishments need time, constancy, and ‘memory’, or they degenerate.” (Letters and Papers from Prison, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer). But for a great spiritual awakening, that “moral memory” will be nothing more than a faint whisper of the past as we sink deeper and deeper into a secular, godless culture.
The movie posters adorning the distribution suites from the 4th to the 11th floor of the Fairmont Hotel serve as cultural signposts, telling the sad tale of a culture in decline: realistic, human dramas are few and far between— “hard to sell,” we were told; horror films, zombie films, slasher films, and sexualized fantasy films (including sci-fi films) are posted everywhere. Arguably, nothing has changed, only worsened. These movies are the equivalent of yesterday’s “dime novels”—sensational, titillating, mindless pulp, streaming on multiple platforms for a few dollars to those so inclined. On the whole, I found the Market atmosphere suffocating, but breathed a grateful breath for those handful of filmmakers and companies that were creating and distributing movies celebrating “…the better angels of our nature.”
It was on the third day, early Friday morning, that I found myself spiritually fatigued by the crowds “coming and going” and speaking not of Michelangelo (film’s David Lean or Christopher Nolan?), but of the potential “hits” on YouTube with the latest “hot” actors who could help sell your next film. These are all legitimate concerns for the hustling filmmaker; it was I who had an “attitude issue.”
On Friday morning, as I was “Lyfted” from West Hollywood to the Fairmont Hotel ($40 for 4.9 miles!), I was blessed with a wonderful driver from Brazil, whose English was flawless. Soon, we both discovered that we were “believers,” his telling me about a men’s Bible study he attended weekly. I gave him the “elevator pitch” of what I was doing at the American Film Market, and when we pulled up in front of the Fairmont, he quickly turned around, stretched out a hand toward me, and began to pray. To the best of my memory, he said:
Dear Lord Jesus, bless my new friend D. Paul. Protect him today from all harm. Guide him in all of his dealings. Make him a blessing to those he meets. Encourage him. May his work bear fruit that is pleasing to you, and may he give you the glory for all that is accomplished. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The valet opening my door was slightly taken back by my bowed head and bold prayer emanating from the front seat! But that impromptu prayer was a “game changer” for me, dear friends, with the righteous Pedro reminding me that my purpose for being at the AFM transcended commerce. It was to be a blessing and bear witness to Him. That Friday and the following day were most successful. When we “closed shop” on Saturday afternoon, 14 different companies had expressed interest in distributing The Fugitive from Asteron. They’ll look at the screener (a promotional copy of the film prior to distribution), which, as they were told, contains no swearing, no nudity, no gratuitous violence, but is a sci-fi, romantic adventure where good triumphs over evil. Consciously or not, there is a deep hunger for such material.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ—a variant on Pedro’s prayer is my prayer for you this Thanksgiving week:
Dear Lord Jesus, Bless all the friends, readers, and listeners of “The Church’s One Foundation.” Protect them from harm. Guide them in all of their dealings. Encourage them and make them a blessing to their family and friends and all they come in contact with. May their efforts bear fruit that is pleasing to you, and may you receive the glory for all that is accomplished! Thank you for your love and faithfulness to us!
A Blessed Thanksgiving, dear friends! I am grateful for you and for Pedro!
Amen
PS: During one rain storm, the lobby became jam-packed. I found a distant table out on the patio with a large umbrella over it. A distributor and producer were talking. Soon, we were talking about the good things going on at the Market despite the rain and dearth of good movies—what we were grateful for. As the distributor was leaving the table, he turned around and wryly added: “I’m just happy to have a hot shower every morning.” He’s got a point.
PPS: While finishing this podcast, the below video popped up on my screen. I found it a blessing. May you too! Around the world, “The Church’s One Foundation Is Jesus Christ Her Lord!”
