This weekend, my documentary film “Source of Hope” competed at the New Hope Film Festival. When I created Source of Hope a few years back, I never dreamed that it would resonate with so many folks. Making the film was rooted in a simple intention: I wanted to share my story.
I knew in my (given) heart that the story would resonate with anybody that experienced adversity in their life.
I believed it was equally important to show all that had to happen in order for me to survive to tell my story. It was both the donor family’s loss of their son *and* their generous donation that gave some meaning to their incredible tragedy. It was their faith that got them through their event, but it was their gift that got me through mine. Two sides of the coin – forever linked.
When Source of Hope was originally produced, mostly on a shoestring budget, it was a labor of love. The two people who helped with the videography and editing volunteered to help bring my story to life. They worked with me to understand my vision and tell a story that is essentially human and imbued with emotion.
For our first screening, we showed Source of Hope to friends and family in a local theatre. I had invited the my donor family to attend with their friends as well.
The film stopped. The theater was silent. I looked around—did they like the film? Why was it so quiet? I searched the faces of our audience members and realized why I heard nothing—
Tears have no sound.
I knew from that night on that sharing my story, and talking about how hope works, how hope feels, how hope heals was a calling.
More people needed to see Source of Hope. It was just a matter of making it happen.
We submitted the documentary in a film festival in Loveland, Colorado which seemed like a good fit. I was invited to participate in a Q&A after the screening. We were competing with films which were much larger productions, with many more resources behind them. When the awards were handed out at the end of the Lifetree Festival, I was shocked that we received the “Doing Good” award – the third highest honor in the entire film festival.
The New Hope Film Festival was our second film festival, this time on the east coast. Since I am neither a filmmaker nor a producer by trade, being accepted and welcomed into the community of short documentary filmmakers has been extraordinary. I am proud to know that good people in New Hope were able to share in the message I feel honored to deliver in Source of Hope. Here’s to tears, to cheers, to how hope works, to how hope feels, and to how hope heals us all, together.