How the Kairos Prize® Propelled Winners’ Script to the Big Screen
By Movieguide® Contributor
Kairos Prize® winners Nathan and Megan Leon say winning the prize “opened up doors” in the industry and encouraged them to continue creating faith-based projects.
The Leons won Movieguide®’s Kairos Prize® in 2019 for GRACE BY NIGHT, which will come out later this fall.
“GRACE BY NIGHT is a movie that’s a father-son story about a man who’s had a personal tragedy in his life. He meets a young boy on a crisis hotline that he’s working on, and [it’s] just kind of the story of how they change each other,” Nathan told Movieguide®. “It’s an inspirational story. It’s full of Christianity, family dynamics and just kind of tries to help people to realize what’s important in life and what your faith can do for you.”
He added, “I think faith can inspire families in general, especially in movies, by just helping them to see what’s important in life. There’s a lot you’re being sold — a lot of different things, commercials on the internet — but at the end of the day, Jesus Christ is the source of all good.”
The couple is dedicated to promoting their faith through movies, establishing Visionary Film Productions to make content that centers on Christian values.
“At this present time, mainstream faith-based films have done very well at the box-office. For Christian producers and production companies this is a very good thing, as it can open doors for the next wave of filmmakers to push the door open further,” Visionary Film’s website reads. “So please join us on this journey…because there’s nothing more beautiful than sharing the truth.”
The Leons also spoke about how important winning the Kairos Prize® was for their careers.
“The primary purpose of the Kairos Prize® is to further the influence of moral and spiritual values within the film and television industries,” the award’s website reads. “Seeking to promote a spiritually uplifting, redemptive worldview, the prize was founded to inspire first-time and beginning screenwriters to produce compelling, entertaining, spiritually uplifting scripts that result in a greater increase in either man’s love or understanding of God.”
The site continues, “Since its inception in 2005, the Kairos Prize® for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays has given a voice to new and beginning screenwriters worldwide who endeavor to create stories that are compelling, entertaining and spiritually uplifting.”
“[Kairos] opens up a network,” Nathan explained. “When your script wins, you are getting it into their hands, into the big producer’s hands, and that’s when you need a good, strong network.”
Megan added, “When you’re being given kind of a big boost like that, it’s going to help you continue to move forward and make other films and scripts like that and not turn to the secular and turn away from your faith.”
“Winning has not only opened up doors for us with other producers, it’s given me the esteem that I needed and the confidence that I needed to continue down [the Christian] path, knowing that it was my calling,” Nathan concluded. “Just definitely do Kairos, and who knows what could happen?”
Movieguide® previously reported on GRACE BY NIGHT:
Kairos Prize® finalist and winning scripts continue to wow audiences both on the big and small screens. Now in its 17th year, the Kairos Prize® competition connects inspirational screenplays to industry executives, giving some of the most powerful people in Hollywood access to faith-infused content. The executives continue to be impressed by the scripts and option them, turning the screenplays into feature-length movies for consumers. Initially, the prize was split into two categories, one for beginners and one for more experienced writers. Now, both categories have combined for one overarching competition.
GRACE BY NIGHT by Nathan Leon won in 2019 and is now listed as in pre-production on IMDb with Shari Rigby and Antonio Sabato Jr. attached to the cast. According to the log line, GRACE BY NIGHT is about a man takes a job as a crisis hotline responder as a means of coping with a family tragedy.
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