Written by: Amy Mejias
On the evening of April 10, Regal Cinema Theatre at Hamilton Place was full of enthusiastic attendees for the Chattanooga preview screening of the movie, “The Hopeful.” The film tells the story of the Seventh-day Adventist church’s beginnings, starting with the preachings of William Miller and then depicting the story of Ellen G. White and the spread of Adventism overseas by John N. Andrews.
The film’s preview included a red carpet, photographers, Southern students and staff, representatives from Hope Studios, the film’s investors and its Emmy Award-winning director, Kyle Portbury. The pre-premiere was held in Chattanooga due to the majority of investors being from this area.
While describing his motivation for creating “The Hopeful,” Portbury, himself a Seventh-day Adventist, said he wanted to share stories about the 19th-century pioneers of Adventism in a way that brought them to life and made them relatable, even to those watching in the 21st century.
“People always try to say, ‘We don’t want to get stuck in the past,’” he said. “Well, it’s not about getting stuck in the past. It’s about understanding that the things they were grappling with, the stuff that they doubted and the arguments they had with their spouses are all the same arguments that we’re having today.
“I think the value of art is to provoke us and challenge us to assess ‘Who am I in this story? Would I be the person who gives up? Would I be the person who stays the course? Who am I in this?’” he added. “That’s the whole point of cinema. You’re not trying to convince people of anything. All you’re doing is trying to provoke thought and reflection and create a conversation, which is the best part about cinema.”
For audience members who had seen “Tell the World,” a 2016 series about the beginnings of the Adventist Church, several aspects of “The Hopeful” seemed familiar, including the majority of actors in the film and many of the same scenes. “Tell the World” was a collaborative project produced by the Australian Union Conference, the Hope Channel and the General Conference. It was also directed by Portbury.
Both “Tell the World” and “The Hopeful” were filmed at the same time, but “Tell the World” was a six-episode mini series, while “The Hopeful” condensed footage into a 90-minute film with a different character perspective.
“‘Tell the World’ was looking at the story from this angle through [particular] characters. But “The Hopeful” is over here looking at it through different characters’ lenses, and there is a very different structure in storytelling,” Portbury said.
“The Hopeful” is a frame story, meaning it tells two stories, one set within the other and narrated by a main or supporting character. In this film, the narrating character is John Nevins Andrews, the namesake of Andrews University, an Adventist institution in Battle Creek, Mich. Throughout “The Hopeful,” Andrews tells his children the story of the Adventist Church’s origins.
Portbury said he hopes the story will help Adventists be a little prouder of who they are and where they came from.
That was the impact it had on Lauryn Daniels, senior business public relations major at Southern Adventist University.
“Coming out of the movie, I feel a sense of pride in the denomination that I was born into and inspired to learn more and do my own readings,” Daniels said while speaking to the Accent after the preview screening.
Carlos Torres, junior public relations major, said the movie was a realistic representation of the beginnings of Adventism and that, as a lifelong Adventist, he was excited to see his religion portrayed in a film.
“I thought it was really cool to see that,” Torres said. “The Adventist world is going to be influencing a lot more people.”
Lizbeth Rodriguez-Diep, senior public relations major, had the opportunity to intern for Hope Studios, which is the cinematic arm of Hope Channel International, according to its website. Rodriguez-Diep discovered the opportunity to work for Hope Studios while struggling to find a 300-hour internship approved by the School of Journalism and Communication. She shared her dilemma with her boss, Christalee Crary, campus experience manager for Enrollment Management at Southern. Crary saw an opportunity to help.
“Crary is good friends with Kevin Christenson, head of Hope Studios and a Southern alumni, who had mentioned how he was looking for help in the public relations/marketing side of things for the upcoming film,” Rodriguez-Diep said. “She connected the two of us with hopes that we could help one another. After much discussion, letters written, five previously declined internships and faith, [my]public relations [internship] for Hope Studios was finally approved.”
Rodriguez-Diep gained a lot of experience, as her role encompassed a lot of research, social media management, writing articles, attending local events and strategy, as well as other public relations tasks.
“I’ve been in the coolest spaces surrounded by extremely experienced and successful people, like two-time Grammy winner and singer-songwriter artist Jonas Myrin, as well as Kevin Olusola from Pentatonix, and have been able to have inspiring conversations with them,” Rodriguez-Diep stated. “I can also now say that, in my last semester of college, not only was I a student but also a contributor to the success of the first SDA film to ever be featured in theaters with the highest level of quality and intention. I’ve been able to expand my network and grow my skills in writing, collaboration, social media management and research. This opportunity gives me front-row seats and an ‘in’ to the film industry.”
Myrin wrote two original songs for the film, “Hope Is on The Way” and “Made for You,” which were both used at various points in the movie to help set the scene and share the characters’ emotions.
“Those two songs really changed the way that I approached the narrative, because of the way that they inspired me,” Portbury said.
Portbury said Myrin’s songs were so powerful they prompted alterations in the final stages of production.
“We ended up getting these really beautiful collaborative narratives, using these songs in a very unique three-act structure of their own,” he explained. “And they almost function as the internal expression of where the characters are at very key moments.”
Christenson, a Southern alum, emphasized the significance of films’ influence on culture, highlighting how one of Myrin’s original songs for “The Hopeful” mirrored a song created for the popular blockbuster movie “Barbie.”
“What was interesting about that was the thesis question for ‘Barbie,’ which was summarized in the song that Billie Eilish wrote for it: ‘What Was I Made For?’” Christenson said. “It’s asking this question of purpose and ‘Who am I?’
“And what’s so fascinating is — and we didn’t plan this — one of the main songs for [“The Hopeful”] is called ‘Made For You,’” he added.
Last year, a plastic woman asked the question posed by Eilish’s Oscar-winning song, Christenson said, and this year, in “The Hopeful,” a real woman answered: “I was made for you.”
In addition to Myrin, several other experienced talents in the film industry were involved in creating “The Hopeful.” Brett Manson, who color graded the 2022 movie “Elvis” for director Baz Luhrmann, helped create the look and feel of the film, according to Portbury. He also said many people on the sound and post-production teams for “The Hopeful” have worked on major films.
“It is a fabulous thing [to] get to work with really skilled people. It’s a collaborative effort,” Portbury said. “This is as much their story now as it is mine. I get messages from them. They’re posting about it. None of them are Adventists. I don’t think that they’d ever even heard of Adventists before they started working on [this film]. They fell in love with the character stories like I did, and that’s pretty special when it ceases to become your film. And it’s now our story. I think that’s been a pretty special experience.”
“The Hopeful” is coming to select theaters on April 17 and 18. Those interested in watching the film can visit thehopefulmovie.com, which lists options to screen the movie and stream it after its theatrical release.
