ALBANY — Demand remains strong for the “Facing the Giants” franchise barely a year after the Georgia-based feature movie hit the big screen nationwide. And, its popularity has spurred renewed interest in Sherwood Production’s first big-screen release, Flywheel: The Movie.

“Facing the Giants continues to do well on DVD a year after its Sept. 29, 2006 release,” explained co-writer/director Stephen Kendrick.

Kendrick and his brother, Alex, who serve on staff of Sherwood Baptist Church, were the creative visionaries behind the two productions. Stephen Kendrick serves as senior associate pastor and preaching assistant to pastor Michael Catt and Alex Kendrick serves as associate pastor and media director.

Kendrick said the power of the Internet has helped fuel interest in the movie as well as allow feedback from fans worldwide.

“We’re regularly receiving emails from China, Hungary, Brazil, and several Muslim countries as it continues to open in theatres around the world. We even received an email from a man who wanted more information after viewing it on a Muslim airline (Turkish Airways) and from another individual who viewed it on a Disney cruise,” Kendrick said.

Another email was from a woman from the United Kingdom who viewed it on an airline flight from Central Asia to Thailand. Soldiers in Iraq have also contacted the brothers after they saw it in that war-torn nation.

“The places it has appeared is out of our control. We just made it and dedicated it to God and sent it out into the world, much like a parent does to a child. We stand amazed at what God continues to do with both Giants and Flywheel,” Kendrick explained.

Giants has even made it onto YouTube with footage shot in China, much to the delight of the two brothers. The video shows Chinese teens portraying their version of the death crawl, a popular scene that was created for the movie. No translation is provided with the footage, Kendrick added, but the cultural setting of the scene is fun to watch.

To date the movie has opened in 56 countries and been translated into 11 languages. Churches also continue to purchase site licenses that enable them to show it as many times as desired in a public viewing. More than 7,800 such licenses have been purchased.

The interest in the feel-good sports themed feature movie resulted in Thomas Nelson releasing a novel based on the movie on Sept. 7. The book, which uses the same title as the movie, entered its second printing the first week it was published.

“Alex and I added some new characters to develop the background story a little better and included all of the scripture references which Grant used in developing his strategies. We worked with novelist Eric Wilson of Thomas Nelson Publishers who helped us keep the novel close to the heart of the movie while adding material, production photos, and bonus content not in the movie,” Kendrick said.

More than 2,500 individuals have made some type of new spiritual commitment to Christ based on feedback from the movie. And it Georgia, Giants received additional media attention when both the Georgia State House of Representatives and Senate read a resolution honoring Sherwood Pictures and Sherwood Baptist Church for the success and positive impact of the movie. The resolution, passed on Jan. 30, can be read at http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2007_08/fulltext/hr324.htm.

In addition to the novel based on the movie, Catt has written a new book titled Prepare for Rain while details the bigger story behind the church’s media successes even before the movies were conceived. Sherwood Baptist Church is recognized in being a leader among Georgia Baptist churches with strong media ministries, especially in the broadcast realm.

According to the Sherwood website, the book explains how “a typical Southern Baptist church was transformed into a ministry center that reaches thousands and challenged the Hollywood establishment through the locally produced, national syndicated Giants.”

 

Beginning of the spotlight

Both of the church’s cinematic hits were produced on shoestring budgets using church members as actors and shot on location in Albany. Flywheel was financed on $20,000 in gifts and Giants was produced for about $100,000. It has since grossed $10 million in box office receipts.

The spotlight brought to the church through the public acceptance of Giants has also spilled over onto an earlier theatrical release by the brothers.

The brothers’ first cinematic release, Flywheel: The Movie, has also been given new life as a side benefit of Giants’ popularity. Providence Films, who released Giants, has repackaged the DVD as a director’s cut and remastered the color, improved the sound, and included subtitles in 12 languages. It also includes outtakes and deleted scenes, new commentary by the Kendrick brothers, and includes an eight-part Bible study – with film clips – written by Catt.

The remastered version will be available Nov. 13. The movie first debuted in April 2003 in Albany.

Both Flywheel and Giants are available for rental in Blockbuster video stores.

For more information visit www.facingthegiants.com or www.flywheelthemovie.com.