Khumbula-Remember to see this!

Last Friday, Evangel, Josh and I headed off in our Jeep for a high adventure!  We got invited to a premiere of a new Christian movie  Khumbula:  I Will Remember  that was being shown especially for pastors and Christian workers.

It was wonderful!  It's nice to have a movie we can wholeheartedly endorse.  Our family is conscious  of modesty in movies, and we just chuck 'em right in the trash can if they're potential lust producers, so I was nervous when we somehow landed front and center at the movie theater, knowing we'd have to walk out if things got "skinny".  They didn't; we didn't!

This one had a riveting story, tense enough that I could feel it in my stomach, and had a parable quality that made you think on two levels, if you're a person who thinks like that.  Evangel was busy taking notes on anything that might help her in future movie endeavours, but she got so involved in watching, she quit scribbling in the darkened theater. 

Our family favourite character was "Mr. Williams" who was the comic relief.  He was needed!  If they'd had all the tense parts without him, I'd probably have exploded, though the tension was rewarded with a good happy ending.

Same week, we were invited to another movie, earlier on.  It is called That Sugar Film and is a documentary on the dangers of too much sugar.  It was very well done as far as special effects, story line, and all the mechanics.   When I hear documentary I tend think "We're just going to have to endure this to learn something."  There was no factor of wading through boring stuff in this one!  The Australian film maker had my interest up right from the get-go.  However, even though it really inspired me to eat way less sugar, I'm not recommending it without cautions.  1) Modesty was not practiced--he was in his undies, a lot.  And there was a bikini scene we should have walked out on, but it was over before I could find my purse.  You get the idea.  2) He and his girlfriend were living together (adultery) and 3) Evolution was assumed as truth.    We did walk out when girls started appearing (special effects) in drinks and on toast and other things at the end.  The popcorn was good, and some in our group had the audacity, or irony, to eat sugary treats while watching this. :-)

Khumbulu was Ephesians 6:1-3 pictured.  Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise:  that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.
 



 

Star of Light-the movie



With great excitement and mounds of relief, we are announcing that Star of Light, the movie, is finished and available for viewing!  We had  a discouraging family premiere where the male part of the audience all fell asleep as it was at the end of a hectic day, and then a premiere for some of the actors which went much better, and NOW, on Saturday, the 15th of November, 2014, we're having a premiere where we're inviting the entire home-school community to a church to see the movie. 

 Evangel has been working on Star of Light for more than two years.  She's been making movies since she was 11 and they keep getting better as she gets older and more skilled, as well as getting access to better equipment. 

In watching Evangel, I've sure learned a lot about what goes into the making of a movie--blood, sweat, and tears, for sure, emphasis on the tears!

She had to write a script that's nearly as long as the book itself, and that took some time.  By the time she was finished with that, she had clear ideas on what she wanted.   

 

She had to find more than 40 actors and some animals and the right scenery.  She shot scenes from Cape Town to Trompsburg, as well as one in America.  There's even a shot from Zimbabwe.  She had us driving all over Cape Town for an illusive fountain that never quite suited her. 

Her filming days were interrupted by ministry trips with her Dad, leading to some hair problems.  Hamid's  hair was shiny dyed black, chalked black, German shepherd black-and-brown combo, and light brown hidden by a hood in the course of the stretched out filming. 

She was thrilled with getting some of her costumes as "manna from Heaven" as she called some discarded clothes she found in the grass.  Don't worry, we washed it thoroughly before it touched anyone.  She also considered her little "gutter kitten" as "manna from Heaven".  He came to us through the bathroom fan in a place we stayed in Riversdale.  The kitten fell right out of the ceiling,

and Evangel caught it in the fan cover.

Editing has been the thing to do on trips.  For months she has been editing.  Clipping, choosing music that does not have copyright issues and making decisions 'til she was ready to scream.  She did scream a few times, if I remember right. 

It is so satisfying to see it completed! 

My parents read Star of Light to me when I was a little girl, and it was probably my favourite of all the books they read us.  I snagged that same battered paperback to read to our kids and of course, they loved it too.  But Joshua is younger by 3 1/2 years than Timothy, so he didn't remember anything about that first reading so I decided to read it to him as a bedtime story.  He was about 10, and had a little cousin Connie who was just a baby.  Connie and Josh adored each other, and as we read the story, I could just picture them acting it out.  I mentioned it to Evangel who took a while to get used to the idea.  If you see the movie, you'll see she really caught on to the idea. 

As she is saying, "TO GOD BE THE GLORY." 

All are welcome to come Saturday, the 15th of November, 2014 to Medway Community Church in Plumstead, at 6:30 for a prompt 6:45 start to Star of Light, the movie. 

To see the advertisisement, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1Nbbu7n5No