Alex Kendrick—who wrote, directed and acted in the new Christian film Overcomer—says the movie was guided by God. Alex and Stephen Kendrick, who created the hit films War Room, Fireproof and Facing the Giants, say they always ask God at the start of the creative process what sort of movie they should make next. Alex Kendrick told Movieguide’s Cheryl Crisp that God is always faithful to provide the answer.
“We believe that God is the best storyteller,” Kendrick says. “He wrote the best book of all time. So whenever we go into a movie season, we always say, ‘God, would you inspire us with the stories you want us to tell?’ And He always—after a time of prayer—He always sends us to a certain theme. So we’ll begin researching that theme and the story that goes with it. And so that’s how we came up with Courageous and War Room and now Overcomer.”
While War Room focused on prayer and Courageous focused on fatherhood, the new movie Overcomer specifically focuses on questions of identity.
“I want everybody asking themselves, ‘What have I allowed to define me?'” Kendrick says. “We believe the Creator is the one that defines His creation, and so your identity shouldn’t come from things that change easily—not from feelings or circumstances, even a title or a financial status. We want it to come from, as Scripture says, from the one who made you, that gives you your value, and when we find ourselves in the Lord through faith in Jesus Christ, He gives us incredible value. And since His character doesn’t change, it’s the perfect anchor for our identity.”
Kendrick says that while entertainment is important, impacting viewers’ spiritual lives is the top priority for his films.
“Eventually we want to get people to walk closer to God,” Kendrick says. “So yes, there is an entertainment aspect of this. We want to make movies that are entertaining. But even more than that, that have redemption, so when they walk out of the movie theater, that they are asking themselves questions to help them grow in their faith. So if they are closer to God as a result of seeing one of these films, then that is success for us.”
Watch the full red-carpet interview series with the cast of Overcomer here.
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