| Type | Filmmaking |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder(s) | George Escobar |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Website | AdventFilmGroup.com |
Advent Film Group (AFG) is an independent Christian film production and distribution company founded in 2007 by George Escobar.[1] The company trains young Christians to be filmmakers, and it created the 2009 drama film, Come What May,[2] with talent like Kenneth Jezek and his wife Karen Jezek. Currently the film group is in post-production of their latest feature film Hero.
Advent Film Group has been endorsed by Michael Farris, founder and chancellor of Patrick Henry College; Graham Walker, president of Patrick Henry College; and Michael Smith, president of Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).[3]
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When George Escobar (former Vice President of Product Development for Discovery, Executive Director for AOL/Time Warner) attended the 2006 San Antonio Independent Film Festival, he met and spoke with Stephen Kendrick, co-founder of Sherwood Pictures (Fireproof, Facing the Giants, Flywheel). The conversation challenged him to rethink his entire career path, with the purpose of using his skills and talents for the glory of God. In January 2007, Escobar founded Advent Film Group, basing out of northern Virginia.[4]
Advent Film Group has a unique goal: to “turn the whole film school model upside-down.”[5] The aim is to train young Christians to be excellent filmmakers, and enable them to tell stories that uphold Biblical values and speak about issues relevant to our culture today. To accomplish this, AFG is effectively tapping into the homeschooling community both as a creative talent pool, and as an audience for their family friendly films.[6] Heavy emphasis is placed on maintaining a clean and compelling storyline, while striving for increased production value.
Their first feature film, Come What May (aka Moot Courting),[7] was a collaborative effort between AFG and Patrick Henry College. 40 homeschooled students served on the cast and crew alongside a handful of industry professionals.[8] Students learned not only about production, but also the business, legal, financial, marketing and distribution process involved in making and releasing a full-length movie.
Contrary to the normal distribution process, Come What May was given a virtual release online through the American Family Association (AFA)[9] and GodTube[10] (now called Tangle), and shown free to the viewer during the two weeks before the 2008 U.S. elections. It was then released on DVD in the spring of 2009, and due to it’s strong pro-life message quickly became a popular film for church screenings.[11] Come What May was also the winner of the Redemptive Storyteller Award for 2008 from the Redemptive Film Festival.[12]
AFG’s next film is Hero (formerly One Good Man). Co-written and directed by Manny Edwards (Brightline Pictures)[13], this new family movie focuses on fathers and sons, with baseball as an engaging backdrop. Principal photography was completed in October 2009, and is now in post-production.[14] The film is already gaining grassroots support from promotion through influential family and men’s ministry organizations, such as Iron Sharpens Iron.[15]
AFG's latest project is Red September. Written and directed by Michael Collender, this political drama focuses on the bipartisan forces in Congress and elsewhere that opposed the courageous Congressional struggle against the passage of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. To impact the public during the primary season and the 2012 election as a whole, AFG's expected release date for the film is March 2012.
Advent Film Group continues to provide various training opportunities, including internships, production volunteer positions, and film workshops (also on DVD), as well as their free online introductory course.[16]