The Next Big Thing: "The Human Experience" (Megapost)

I'm very excited about a new movie that has been brought to my attention and would like to share it with you.

In this case, the trailer speaks louder than my words alone could:

Okay, now that I've got your attention, here's what you need to know....

The Film: "The Human Experience"

"The Human Experience is the story of a band of brothers who travel the world in search of the answers to the burning questions: Who am I? Who is Man? What is the meaning of it all? Their journey brings them into the middle of the lives of the homeless on the streets of New York City, the orphans and disabled children of Peru, and the abandoned lepers in the forests of Ghana, Africa."

What the young men discover changes them forever. Through one on one interviews and real life encounters, the brothers are awakened to the beauty of the human person and the resilience of the human spirit."

The movie has an official Facebook group. The official website has a trailer page, pictures, list of upcoming screenings and a "share your human experience" page.

Here's what I've found people saying about the film after watching it:

• "I saw it again, and it was so powerful ... can't wait till it gets to the major market!!!"
• "I laughed, I cried, I was moved...it was beautiful."
• "This is an amazing movie. It is raw and real. There i[s] no fairy tale coating in it."
• "2 thumbs up! It definitely touched my heart."

(And yes, these are mostly high-school and college students - not professional reviewers - that I am quoting above.)

The production company: Grassroots Films

Grassroots film, based in Brooklyn, New York, is an independent film studio founded in 2001 and best-known for developing and producing the Fishers of Men vocations video for the USCCB (winner of the 2007 Gabriel Award) as well as God in the Streets of NY (winner of the 2006 International Inigo Award - watch it here). I was able to see Fishers of Men (available on Amazon, blogged about here) ... and it is *fantastic*: it boasts excellent production quality with real substance in its message for young men considering a vocation to the priesthood.

(The picture below-and-to-the-right shows the production team at recent screening: from left, brothers William Kinnane, editor, and Charles Kinnane, director, cinematographer and editor; Michael Campo, writer; Jeff Azize, who plays himself in the film; Scott Johnson, production coordinator; Clifford Azize, who also plays himself in the film; Simon Fung, production designer; and Joe Campo. - The Brooklyn Diocese Tablet)

Their mission page contains a quotation from John Paul II and says that "through the power of image and sound, Grassroots Films aims to inspire and change the way people see reality."

Barb Ernster of National Catholic Register conducted a short interview with owner Joseph Campo entitled "Helping to Save the MTV Generation" which is available to subscribers here. I found a copy of it elsewhere, however, and reproduce some important (and very revealing) passages from it:

[Joseph] Campo is also the director of St. Francis House, an apostolate of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, and is director of Youth 2000 New York.

He spoke to Register correspondent Barb Ernster about “Fishers of Men” and the mission behind Grassroots Films.

... [Fr. Benedict Groeschel] had opened the St. Francis House for young men in 1967 in Brooklyn. The friars had reached a point where they couldn’t staff it full time and were going to close the house, but they asked me to look at it first. It was a natural fit for me, so I became director. That was 17 years ago. [Related: Watch a YouTube video about St. Francis House produced by Grassroots films.]

{About Grassroots films:} Our goal is to captivate and change the way people feel about certain subjects. We want to give the audience what it is starving for: the Truth. For example, we’re doing a film called The Human Experience. Although this is a pro-life film, I can promise you it will never mention abortion.

We’re taking the positive approach about the beauty of life in order to change the way people feel and think about life, about babies, about each other.We’re all children of God. Basically that is the mission of Grassroots Films.

MTV never says, “Brought to you by Satan and all of his cohorts.” And our films will never say, “Brought to you by Jesus Christ and all the angels and saints in heaven,” but they are.

Not every film we do is necessarily a Catholic film, but everything we do will have morals and courageous people in it. The priesthood was a pretty good place to start.

The point is to preach to the unchurched, and to get our message out to the world. That’s what we did with “Fishers of Men.” We made it for the people who are not priests and not in seminary, to show that the priesthood is a challenge. This is for real men. Catholics, of course, are going to watch our films, and they should. But the messages in our films are for everyone, to make them see and think.

The way we use music in the films also helps you have a spiritual experience. Music does something that no other sound does. It bypasses reason and logic and goes directly to the soul. It’s perfectly natural for a human being’s soul to reach for their Creator, and music is a vehicle to do that.

[You can read the entire interview here.]

I found this interview very encouraging. These are exactly the type of artists I would like to see flourish.

Grassroots films has a YouTube channel and official website (contains news, releases, email list, mission statement, current & past productions, an online store and contact information). They also have a Wikipedia page, but it desperately needs updating (hint, hint).

More information on the phenomenal success of the Fishers of Men video from Zenit:

The U.S. bishops' video promoting priestly vocations -- called by one viewer "the best look at the priesthood I have ever seen on film" -- was named winner of the Gabriel Award.

More than 60,000 copies of the video, produced by Grassroots Films of Brooklyn, New York, have been distributed.

The video, combining images, music and testimonies, reveals many elements of the daily life of a priest. A dramatic representation of a priest giving last rites to a dying boy shows how the example of the priests' ministry can inspire vocations.

Another viewer, David Morton, said he was "moved to tears."

Joseph Campo, producer of "Fishers of Men," said the production staff has "always had a positive view and appreciation of the Catholic priesthood throughout the world, and we are grateful for the opportunity to portray what it means to be a priest in the film, 'Fishers of Men.'"

"Serious filmmakers always work to produce something of extraordinary artistic quality," he continued. "When the work can serve a noble goal such as inviting men to the priesthood, it’s doubly rewarding for the artists.”

(more at the USCCB website's vocations page)

The Screenings

Previous screenings have met with great success and the film regularly draws rave reviews. Ruah arts group in Madison, WI hosted a screening recently and has details.

Upcoming screenings include: Mineola, NY (11/27); Washington, DC (11/30 & 12/1); Naples, FL (12/1) and eventually Manila, The Philippines and London, England. More information here.

For those of you in the Washington DC area, the Dominican Friars of the Priory of the Immaculate Conception will be hosting three advance screenings of The Human Experience at the John Paul II Cultural Center. As a bonus, Producer Joseph Campo and Writer Michael Campo will be on-site hosting Q&A sessions after each showing.

The Friday 11/30 screening has sold out (for details on an email waiting list, click here) but there are still tickets available for the two screenings on Saturday 12/1 and an online ticket request form to secure your seats (suggested donation per seat: $5 at the performance). All ticket requests should be received at least 24 hours before the scheduled performance. For more information contact: Dominican House of Studies (202-529-5300); Attn: Rev. James Cuddy, OP; 487 Michigan Ave., NE; Washington DC 20017.

I will be attending one or more of the screenings, and plans are in the works for me to have a sitdown with the Producer/Writer to follow-up with them after I've seen the production. If I receive permission, I intend to write a short review of the film and, regardless, will be posting more updates on it. As I said, I'm very excited to see it.

There you go - now spread the good word!

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