Posted on 06 May 2012
Tags: abc-news, bing, Christian Newswire, Costa, david trotter, Documentary, eyes, grammy, Indian, issue, June, life, mother-india, Narrated, orange county california, orange-county, orphan, pivotal decisions, Real-life, rebecca st. james
While millions of Americans have watched a fictionalized version of “slumdogs” living in poverty, few know the true reality of living as an abandoned and orphaned child on the streets of India.
Narrated by Grammy Award winner Rebecca St. James, “Mother India: Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan” is a compelling documentary following the adventure of 25 courageous orphans living as a family along the railway as they make pivotal decisions that will directly impact their future.
Filmed in January 2012 in southern India with a small production team, the documentary is the work of first-time filmmakers David Trotter and Shawn Scheinoha, both based in Orange County, California.
“India is growing in both population and industry, but few people know that there are over 31 million orphans in the nation,” commented David Trotter, executive producer of Mother India. “Each of these young lives is much more than a statistic. Every one of them has a name, a face, and a story.”
“The bottom line is that statistics go in one ear and out the other,” said Scheinoha. “People need to hear stories and see the reality of what it looks like for millions of Indian children who are orphaned. We’re not out to just tell a tragic story. We’re focused on raising awareness and changing lives.”
According to UNICEF, there are over 31 million orphans living in India, and the issue is more fragmented than simply helping a child who has lost both parents. According to producers, the stories of the children profiled in Mother India reveal the complexity of the issue and the multi-faceted approach needed to give each child the opportunity to grow up and reach their full potential.
“We were blown away by how courageous these children are and to what extent they’ll go to in order to help one another survive,” said Trotter. “When you look into the eyes of two siblings – three and seven years old – who boarded a train to escape the abuse of their alcoholic parents, you start to realize that India needs our help to deal with this global issue.”
As the documentary is being finalized for a Fall 2012 premiere, two advance screenings will be hosted in Orange County, California. Suresh Kumar, president of Harvest India, will participate in a Q&A session with both filmmakers at each advance screening.
- Wednesday, June 6th - 7pm - hosted at RockHarbor Church (345 Fischer Avenue, Costa Mesa)
- Friday, June 8th - 7pm - hosted at Newport Mesa Church (2599 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa)
For more information and free tickets to the advance screenings of Mother India: Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan, visit www.motherindiafilm.com.
Posted on 26 March 2012
Tags: christian, church planters, Documentary, Gambling, hearing from god, highs and lows, holy, holy rollers, Member, movie, Movie Review, team, winning streaks
- Movie: Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians
- Director: Bryan Storkel
- Genre: Documentary
- Rating: None
Life is so much easier if you only see things in black and white. Take gambling for instance. Many Christians would agree that gambling, as a whole, is not a good thing. Casinos are designed to have the odds stacked against you when you visit. Many of us were raised with the notion that they were just plain evil. So, imagine a group of Christians who visit those dens of Iniquity on a regular basis…and win.
Filmed over two years, “Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians” follows the “Church Team,” a group of pastors and church-planters who mastered the “art” of card counting. By learning how to decipher how many cards have been played and which ones vs. how many are left in the deck, the Church Team basically leveled the playing field and beat the casinos at their own game.
“Holy Rollers” follows the highs and lows of one of the largest blackjack teams in the country: winning streaks, devastating losses, questioning their integrity and even the possibility of a team member stealing from the group. Through it all, I struggled with it. Was it okay for them to gamble? Was it okay if they won? Was it okay if they lost? Was it okay when they dressed up in disguise? Was it okay when they got kicked out for being card-counters? In the end, I’m still not sure. However, what I appreciate about this documentary, is that group of guys didn’t live by the black and white rules. They lived in the gray so that they would have to rely on hearing from God on whether or not what they were doing was the right thing.
“Holy Rollers” has made the festival circuit and winning a few awards along the way. It’s easy to see why. The story is engaging, the players intriguing and the production values are top notch, but the material is still controversial. There are even a few F-bombs. It is directed by Bryan Storkel and is his biggest project to date. He even learned how to count cards as well, but he kept himself behind the camera while filming. I’m sure that we’ll be seeing more of his work soon.
Not surprisingly, not everyone is a fan of this movie. At a recent screening of the film at the downtown Mars Hill Church in Seattle, one member featured in the movie was invited to a Q and A session after the showing but was later “disinvited” at the last minute. According to The Stranger newspaper, David Drury “suspects it’s because his wife Stephanie Drury is an outspoken critic of evangelicals in general and Mars Hill in particular.”
So, now it’s your turn. “Holy Rollers” is now available through video on demand and DVD. Give it a watch and let me know what you think.
(Originally posted on Examiner.com)
