Christian Retailing

'Grace Card' to premiere in theaters Print Email
Written by Eric Tiansay   
Thursday, 24 February 2011 03:03 PM America/New_York
The Grace Card

, a police drama featuring Academy Award winner Louis Gossett, will open nationwide in more than 350 theaters tomorrow, Feb. 25.

Addressing issues of racism, forgiveness, and reconciliation, the film—made by Calvary Church of the Nazarene in Memphis and Graceworks Pictures, and distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films—has been promoted in a months-long campaign of social networking, church and campus screenings. The have also been advertisements on Black Entertainment Television, Country Music Television and FOX News, Memphis' The Commercial Appeal reported.

Rated PG-13 for violence and thematic elements, The Grace Card was screened for retailers last month during Munce Group's Christian Product Expo Hershey in Hershey, Pa. No date has yet been set for the DVD release.

"The purpose of a faith-based movie ... is to reach the secular audience even more than the Christian audience—so we were actually happy that our movie got a PG-13 rating," Michael Higgenbottom, who stars in the movie, told the Appeal. Higgenbottom portrays an African-American "patrolman pastor" in Memphis whose new partner is a bitter, angry racist (Michael Joiner)—still seething some 17 years after his son was killed by a car driven by a black drug dealer.

With a $450,000 production budget, The Grace Card is "finding an audience among folks who are interested in social-justice issues, no matter where they are on their faith journey," Kris Fuhr—vice president at Provident Films, which is releasing the film with Sony Pictures' Affirm Films division—told the Appeal.

Affirm Films, Provident Films and Samuel Goldwyn Films were behind the Sherwood Baptist Church-produced hits Fireproof and Facing the Giants.

Click here for more information on The Grace Card.