Christian Film 'The Message' Returns for Eastertime Showings

Back by popular demand, and with a peg to this year’s Easter season, a Christian film with local roots is making its way back to the Tampa Bay area.

“I really do think that God is raising up Christian artists to be spread the message of hope and redemption,” said Cindy Miller-Ray, a Greater Brandon community theater veteran, who plays the part of the receptionist in the film, “The Message,” produced by Integrity Films.

“I am honored and humbled to be a part of this project," she added earlier this year, when the film had its debut screenings for Greater Brandon pastors and their peers throughout the Tampa Bay area.

The film, and its underlying messages of the power of prayer and the promise of redemption, has 12 screenings in eight venues over seven days and two weekends, from April 22 through May 6.

The closest Greater Brandon location is at Legacy Church, 2702 Causeway Center Drive. That viewing it tonight, April 22, at 7 p.m.

There are three screenings with subtitles and five screenings at Centro Muvico Ybor (see list below).

Mollie Anderson, who like Miller-Ray performs in numerous community theater shows a year in the Greater Brandon area, plays the role of Helen, the mother of the bride, in the film “that showcases the power of prayer and the meaning of God in our lives.”

“She’s just a loving Christian woman who is excited about her daughter getting married and she has concern about the fiancé in the beginning of the movie,” said Anderson, who appears in the first moments of the movie's trailer.  

According to Liss Cartagena, the film’s executive producer, Integrity Films, was founded to produce “The Message,” written by Joe Navarro and directed by Ben Rosa.  The film initially has been marketed to “non-profit organizations that are the creators of ministries that support communities today,” Cartagena said. “Ideally, we will gain the support of the Christian community.”

The aim, ideally, is for a theatrical release.

The film is about a young man, Jake, who suffered a loss as a young boy and is soon to be married. Estranged from his mother and sister, Jake starts receiving from God messages, in a very modern way, that encourage him to open his heart and start believing.

Cartagena has noted that the film serves as an educational tool. As she put it: “Rather than invite a member to hear just a sermon you can invite them to see a movie, and then listen to a sermon based on the movie.”

Toward that end, a pamphlet has been prepared that addresses the film’s seven major points by asking seven essential questions: Does God understand my pain? Who is in control? Is there power in prayer? How do I overcome obstacles? Does forgiveness really happen? Can relationships be mended? And, is it possible to love and be loved?

“I think the message of ‘The Message’ is a very good message, as funny as that sounds,” Miller-Ray said. “This is a man who was hurt very badly when he was young and he turned away from God and his mother always prayed for him. He’s involved in computers and that’s why God chooses that medium to pursue him.”

The movie shows us “that God pursues us in different ways,” Miller-Ray said. “Sometimes it’s more subtle, other times not so subtle. But he will find us.”

RELATED COVERAGE:

UPCOMING SCREENINGS:

First Weekend Screenings:

• April 22, 7 p.m. — Legacy Church, 2702 Causeway Center Drive, Tampa, 33619

• April 23, 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6 p.m. — Centro Muvico Ybor, 1600 East Eighth Avenue, Tampa, 33605. Call: 813-242-0664

• April 24, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. — Centro Muvico Ybor, 1600 East Eighth Avenue, Tampa, 33605 / Call: 813-242-0664

• April 24, 6:30 p.m. — Iglesia del Nazareno (subtitled), 109 April Lane, Tampa, 33613 / Call: 813-908-8359

Second Weekend Screenings:

• April 29, 7 p.m. — First Christian Church of Dunedin, 1400 San Christopher Drive, Dunedin / Call: 727-733-4804

• April 30, 6 p.m. — First Christian Church of Dunedin, 1400 San Christopher Drive, Dunedin / Call: 727-733-4804

• April 30, 7 p.m. — New Jerusalem Church (Subtitled), 6616 East Chelsea St., Tampa / Call: 813-621-6522

• May 1, 3 p.m. — Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal MI (Subtitled), 14214 North Nebraska Ave., Tampa / Call: 813-972-0444

• May 1, 5 p.m. — First Christian Church of Dunedin, 1400 San Christopher Drive, Dunedin / Call: 727-733-4804

• May 6, 7 p.m. — Open Water Church, 15612 Race Track Road, Odessa / Call: 813-920-9922

THE CAST

• Shane Andries, as Jake
• Rachel Spears, as Sarah Jr.
• William Brown, as Pastor Daniel Jr.
• Lauren Nash, as Kate
• Mark Kamp, as Jefferson
• Arlana DiGiovanni, as Iris
• Mollie Andesron, as Heleln
• Eric Michael Simon, as Jake Jr.
• Darryl Madison, as Jim
• Cindy Miller-Ray, as Patty
• Cesar Navarro, as Frank
• Stephanie Parker, as Sarah
• Pastor David, as Pastor Daniel
• Rahael Parks, as Girl No. 3
• Janel Parks, as Girl No. 2

THE CREW

• Liss Cartagena, Executive Producer
• William Cartagena, Executive Producer
• Ben Rosa, Director
• Jamie Parslow, Assistant Director
• Evan Zissimopulos, Director of Photography
• Marcus Smith, Associate Producer
• Joe Navarro, Writer
• Steve Baudry, Screenwriter
• Michael Scheller, Key Grip
• Terri Lovins, Associate Producer
• Frank Bifulco, Sound
• Michael Long, Second Assistant Director
• Tommy Cleary, Production Assistant
• Lynn Spears, Production Assistant
• Beverly Funderburk, Production Assistant
• Michael Ferron, Production Assistant
• Diane Phelps, Production Assistant
• Danny Loeber, Production Assistant