LEESBURG (FBW)—A panel of judges for The Education Channel in Tampa viewed more than 80 films to find the winner of the annual Independents’ Film Festival. On September 16 representatives of First Baptist Church, Leesburg, will step forward to receive first place honors for “The Touch.”
“The Touch” was judged the winner over a diverse list of entries that included feature and short films, documentaries, animated films and experimental films. The subjects of the films were as disparate as the film forms—from serial killers to environmental threats, from eating disorders to test tube babies, from unrequited love to exploration of wireless video technology.
The Touch’s subject is First Baptist’s ministry evangelism, which long-time pastor Charles Roesel outlined in his book Meeting Needs Sharing Christ published by LifeWay Press in 1984.
“Ministry evangelism is simply caring for persons in the name of Jesus Christ,” Roesel wrote. “It is meeting persons at the point of their need and ministering to them physically and spiritually.”
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Filmmakers confer during the filming of The Touch. They are (from left) Art Ayris, writer and producer; Warren Jones, assistant cameraman; John Atkinson, camera operator; and Jimmy Huckaby, director. The Touch will be shown in two upcoming film festivals.
In the film catalog, which lists synopses of the entries, “The Touch’s” description reads: “Hannah More has compiled a life of bad touches. First Baptist is a church arguing about its responsibility to the needy in its community. When their paths cross, both are changed forever.”
The Tampa film festival is the first of several upcoming competitions for the feature film. It has been accepted in the International Family Film Festival, based in Valencia, Calif., and in the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival.
“Both of these festivals are large and successful,” said Art Ayris, the film’s writer and producer, who said that both festivals will be attended by many buyers who will want to talk with the filmmakers. “That will mean more opportunities to tell the ministry story.”
Organizers of the secular Fort Lauderdale festival have asked that one of the showings of “The Touch” be at the city’s First Baptist Church.
Ayris, associate pastor of First Baptist Church, Leesburg 15 years, will work with First Baptist in Fort Lauderdale during the festival to reach out to the arts community in south Florida. Ayris said the festival’s desire to show the film at First Baptist Church shows the church is already making an impact among the area arts community. Gulf Stream Baptist Association also is promoting the film among its churches.
The film festivals, along with the awards the film garners in them, serves to give “The Touch” “a pedigree,” Ayris said. Each participation and award helps in the effort to promote the film among television buyers and film distributors.
“The Touch” is also creating interest internationally, according to Ayris. Distributors in Australia and New Zealand are poised to market the film.
“We are hoping that it breaks down barriers and prejudices to Christ and the Gospel message,” he said. “We are seeing that in the U.S. and hope it does so overseas as well.”
Ayris told how the Australian distributor first watched the movie at home with his wife, who “wept through it.”
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Hannah, played by actress Kristia Knowles, considers a flat tire to be one more obstacle to getting back on her feet after a lifetime of “bad touches.”
“Her story was very similar to the main character Hannah in ‘The Touch,’” he said.
International satellite broadcaster SAT-7 has also requested a copy of the film. If the company broadcasts the film, it will be translated into Arabic and Persian, then shown in the Middle East and Europe. The effort could be termed international missions from a media standpoint, according to Ayris.
First Baptist Church, Leesburg, both the financier and subject of “The Touch,” is “thrilled” with the possibilities the film now affords for sharing the Gospel. However, church reaction to making the film was not always so positive.
“Even though they trusted me and had seen how God has used me in the past, they were a bit askance about raising money for a film, and were very unhappy with me that it was not a clean G-rated film,” Ayris said.
First Baptist debuted PG-rated “The Touch” in Leesburg, in the largest AMC theatre, and “packed it out” six nights, he said. “It has continued to help increase our visibility and reputation in the community.”
The filmmakers have since made an edited version that removes a couple of “choice words.” The new version of “The Touch” is now “completely satisfactory” for showing in churches, Ayris said. Other venues also are welcoming the film. Ayris said he was encouraged to learn that the county jail was showing the film to the female inmates. “A young woman who was in there was really upset because she couldn’t get out with the other cellblocks to see the film,” he said.
The television distributor of the film is soon going to New York to market the film. Although smaller broadcasters have expressed interest in showing the film, the filmmakers are waiting to hear from larger networks such as Lifetime and Hallmark. The distributor also will take “The Touch” to the Cannes Television Market in October.
“The bottom line with me is more people meeting God and understanding how much He loves them,” Ayris said. “Pray that God will use it to touch other leaders and churches to take seriously Christ’s command of Matthew 25, so that more orphaned children and abandoned women will be helped in the name of Christ, with many coming to know Him as Savior.”
Churches or individuals may order a DVD of “The Touch” by calling 352-787-1005.
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