NEW ORLEANS — Looking for something different to do during Halloween weekend instead of ghouls, ghosts and goblins? Come to City Church, 13123 I-10 Service Road, 70128, at 6pm on Sunday, October 30, 2022, for the RED-CARPET PREMIERE of the full-length film Redemption, a gritty thriller about tough choices, wrong turns, ambition and…redemption!
Hosted in association with Will You Be Ready Productions, the premiere is expected to draw over 1,200 people. Tickets are $15 each and are nearly sold out.
The movie stars Johnathan Robinson, Omar “Apollo” Askew, Lauren Bachtel, Ashley LaBeaud, Damien Harvey, and Detrick Rainge.
When Chris (Robinson) refuses to snitch after witnessing a murder, he’s introduced to merciless thug, Patrick Landry (Askew) – the right hand of a drug queenpin (LaBeaud), whose hands are deeply rooted in several criminal enterprises.
Because Chris is often offended by his loving dad (Harvey), they constantly bump heads. This opens the door for Landry to groom Chris through gifts, financial opportunities, and fatherly advice. With Chris’ loyalty to Landry increasing, his relationship with his father deteriorates further. In response, Chris’ father takes to action in prayer.
While Chris is on this journey, his childhood friend Thomas (Rainge) becomes an agent with the local drug enforcement agency. Their lives intertwine after Thomas encounters an executed former associate of Landry. Thomas warns his friend about the life he’s choosing, but Chris is too busy enjoying a circle full of ambition, drugs, violence, easy money, and dirty cops.
Prodded by both the ambitious Landry and a captivating love interest (Bachtel), Chris must make critical choices: Is he man enough to kill and live with the decision? Where do his allegiances lie? Who’s got his best interest at heart? What’s his next move?
Written by Brandi Jackson, Redemption provides an in depth look at life choices often faced by young people caught in the middle of a war between positive and negative influences. Redemption is Jackson’s second full-length project. She’s previously written A Lot Like Christmas (2019), which is available on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Tubi; distributed by Maverick Entertainment, the movie has been seen over a million times across the various platforms.
According to Lead Actor, Johnathan Robinson, “This movie’s about second chances at family and at life; the kind that, in my experience, only come about through faith. It’s about the power of prayer, and the opportunity for restoration. We all have a journey that we’re on so, in that sense, everyone is a Chris. It’s just that some of us have someone somewhere praying us through our bad choices.”
According to Director Owen McManus Jr., “This is a story that’s been years in the making. Literally. It’s based on a stage play that began in 1993. Since then, it’s been translated into Spanish, French and Haitian Creole and seen in a few countries. This might sound crazy, but we’ve seen thousands of people give their lives to Jesus because of it.” “A few years ago, we updated the storyline and converted it into a film that started shooting before the pandemic, so while it’s been four years in the making as a film, the story’s something that’s been around much longer. At the same time, you could say it’s something that we see every day.”
McManus continued, “What Brandi has done with this story, we feel like it’s special. It’s old news that our society underappreciates black women creatives. We celebrate her… She’s put in a lot of thought into Redemption’s story arcs. The characters have depth and are relatable…there’s drama, but they’re funny too! To me, she gives voices to people so that their everyday situations are heard and seen. She found ways to includes some subtle tie-ins to previous projects that we’ve done. She even displays some of her acting chops in this one. She’s really something!”
Watch snippets of this interview here.
The 160-minute independent film, Redemption is shot in New Orleans and Mexico; it features an entirely local cast and crew.
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Jill Goudeau at 504.246.5121, ext. 101.
Tickets for the October 30, 2022, RED-CARPET PREMIERE are $15 and can be purchased by calling the number above or visiting www.wybrproductions.com.
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