Amish Grace
| Amish Grace |
Promotional poster |
| Directed by |
Gregg Champion |
| Produced by |
Jacob Hemmersbach |
| Written by |
Sylvie White
Teena Booth |
| Starring |
Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Tammy Blanchard
Matt Letscher |
| Music by |
Joseph Conlan |
| Editing by |
Anita Brandt Burgoyne |
| Country |
United States |
| Language |
English |
| Original channel |
Lifetime Movie Network |
| Release date |
March 28, 2010 (2010-03-28) |
| Running time |
88 minutes |
Amish Grace is a television film that premiered on the Lifetime Movie Network on Palm Sunday, March 28, 2010. The movie is based on the 2006 Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, Amish school shooting and the spirit of forgiveness the Amish community demonstrated in its aftermath.[1] The movie stars Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Tammy Blanchard, and Matt Letscher[2] and is based on the book Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy, Jossey-Bass, 2007, ISBN 0-7879-9761-7, by Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David L. Weaver-Zercher.[3][3]
Amish Grace was executive-produced by Larry A. Thompson; written by Sylvie White and Teena Booth; and directed by Gregg Champion.[2]
Plot summary
When a group of Amish schoolgirls are taken hostage and killed in their classroom, their parents and the Amish community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, stun the outside world by immediately forgiving the killer. Ida Graber (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), mother of one of the murdered children, has a tougher time than the others accepting the tragedy, but in her anguish and pain, she begins a personal journey of renewed faith, ultimately accepting the heart-wrenching tragedy of losing a child; reconnecting with her husband (Matt Letscher), family, and community; offering forgiveness to the killer; and even showing kindness and compassion to the killer’s widow (Tammy Blanchard) and children – all in the form of Amish Grace.[2][1]
Cast
- Kimberly Williams-Paisley - Ida Graber
- Tammy Blanchard - Amy Roberts
- Matt Letscher - Gideon Graber
- Fay Masterson - Jill Green
- Madison Mason - Levi Brennaman
- Gary Graham - Henry Taskey
- Darcy Rose Byrnes - Rebecca Knepp
- Karley Scott Collins - Katie Graber
- Eugene Byrd - Danny
- Devan Mashak - Leonard
- Amy Sloan - Rachel Knepp
- John Churchill - Charlie Roberts
- Madison Davenport - Mary Beth Graber
- Taylor Ann Thompson - Hannah
- Bryan Rudi- Jacob
- Eric Nenninger - State Trooper
- Willow Geer - Judith
- Kyle Bruggen- Minister
- Kate Fuglei - Shelly
- Jim Metzler - County Sheriff
- Bob Rumnock - Reporter
- Emilee Wallace - Teacher Ruth
- Kesha Janzen - Melinda
- Chloe Madison - Sarah Knepp
- David Mazouz - Andy Roberts
- Dale Wade Davis - Isaac Knepp
- Joel Schmidt - Melinda's Husband
- David Curtis - Amish Elder
- Sammy Jack - Knepp Boy #1
- Gabriel Welch - Knepp Boy #2
- Elijah Tadros - Ryan Roberts
Ratings
Amish Grace broke network records in multiple demographics, with more than 4 million viewers, becoming the highest-rated and most-watched original movie in Lifetime Movie Network’s history in Households (3.8/2,916,449 viewers), Total Viewers (2.0/4,020,496), Women 18+ (3.5/2,729,834), Women 25-54 (2.7/1,156,363), Adults 18+ (2.4/3,649,266) and Adults 25-54 (1.9/1,585,667).[4][5][6][7]
Reviews
The movie received many positive reviews [8][9][10][11][12][13][6][14][15][16][10][17][18]; however, it also received criticism because the authors of Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy, Jossey-Bass, 2007, ISBN 0-7879-9761-7, distanced themselves from the production out of respect to the Amish community.[6] Others criticized the movie for blending facts with fiction.[19]
Awards
- Nominated for the Humanitas Prize [20]
- Winner of 2 Accolade Awards: Award of Excellence and Award of Merit for use of film for social change[21]
- Winner of the MOVIEGUIDE Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring TV Program of 2010[22]
- Winner of 2011 Wilbur Award[23]
References
- ^ a b "Amish Grace". myLifetime. 2010-04-09. http://www.mylifetime.com/movies/amish-grace. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ a b c "Amish Grace". IMDB. 2010-04-09. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1559025/. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ a b "Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy (Hardcover)". Amazon. 2010-04-09. http://www.amazon.com/Amish-Grace-Forgiveness-Transcended-Tragedy/dp/0787997617. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ Reynolds, Mike (2010-03-29). "'Amish Grace' Delivers As Highest-Rated Original Telepic In Lifetime Movie Network History". Multichannel News. http://www.multichannel.com/article/450814-_Amish_Grace_Delivers_As_Highest_Rated_Original_Telepic_In_Lifetime_Movie_Network_History.php. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (2010-03-29). "Lifetime Movie Network’s Amish Grace Breaks Records With 4.02 Million Viewers". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/03/29/lifetime-movie-networks-amish-grace-breaks-records-with-4-02-million-viewers/46478. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ a b c Kissell, Rick (2010-03-29). "7.6 million watch Kids’ Choice Awards". Variety (magazine). http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118017057.html?categoryid=1275&cs=1&query=Amish+Grace+-+Ratings. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ "Amish Grace breaks Lifetime Movie Net records". The Hollywood Reporter. 2010-03-29. http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/03/amish-grace-breaks-lifetime-movie-net-records.html. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ "Six Picks: Recommendations from the Monitor staff". The Christian Science Monitor. 2010-03-22. http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Arts/2010/0322/Six-Picks-Recommendations-from-the-Monitor-staff. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ Boatwright, Phil (2010-04-05). "And on TV…Amish Grace". Preview Online. http://www.previewonline.org/holyholly/amishgrace.html. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ a b Pacatte, Sr. Rose (2010-03-20). "Amish Grace: A Time for Forgiveness". Catholic Exchange. http://catholicexchange.com/2010/03/20/128377/#hide. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ Pacatte, Sr. Rose (2010-04-05). "Amish Grace: A Time for Forgiveness". Sister Rose – Word Press. http://sisterrose.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/amish-grace-on-lmn-march-28/. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ Cooper, Jackie K. (2010-03-23). "Amish Grace Is A Story Of Grace Under Fire". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jackie-k-cooper/emamish-graceem-is-a-stor_b_507564.html?view=print. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ Valasquez, Leticia (2010-03-23). "Review of Amish Grace". Catholic Media Review (Catholic Online). http://www.catholic.org/ae/tv/review.php?id=35912. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ Dawn, Randee (2010-03-26). "Amish Grace – TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/tv-reviews/amish-grace-tv-review-1004078769.story. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ Holder, Jeff (2010-03-22). "AMISH GRACE – Coming to a Greater Understanding of God’s Grace". Movie Guide. http://www.movieguide.org/articles/1/714/amish-grace-coming-to-a-greater-understanding-of-gods-grace. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ Smith, Nichole (2010-03-17). "My Connection to Amish Grace the LMN Original Movie Airing March 28". Lifetime Moms. http://www.lifetimemoms.com/print/2011. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ Basham, Megan (2010-03-26). "Supernatural reaction". World (magazine). http://www.worldmag.com/webextra/16583. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ Walker, Angela (2010-04-09). "Amish Grace Is Amazing". Christian Cinema. http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/article_info.php?articles_id=7250&src=rss. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ DeJesus, Ivey (2010-03-07). "Amish Grace movie fictionalizes Nickel Mines tragedy, generates debate". PennLive.com (The Patriot-News). http://blog.pennlive.com/midstate_impact/print.html?entry=/2010/03/controversial_amish_grace_movi.html. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ "Finalists Announced for 36th Annual HUMANITAS Prize Honoring Great Television and Film Writing". PR Newswire. 2010-07-14. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/finalists-announced-for-36th-annual-humanitas-prize-honoring-great-television-and-film-writing-98438949.html. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
- ^ "Accolade Winners". Accolade Competition. 2010-05-28. http://www.accoladecompetition.org/PDF_Winners/WinnersAccoladeDeadline052810.pdf. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
- ^ "19th Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry". MOVIEGUIDE. 2011-02-18. http://www.movieguide.org/articles/main/19th-annual-movieguider-faith-a-values-awards-gala-and-report-to-the-entertainment-industry.html. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
- ^ "New Orleans School Integration – CBS Evening News leads 2011 Wilbur Awards". Religion Communicators Council. 2011-03-03. http://www.religioncommunicators.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=124797. Retrieved 2011-03-22.