By India McCarty
THE CHOSEN’s Stelio Savante brought the story of a real-life hero to the big screen with HAZEL’S HEART.
“This is one of those stories that should be known far beyond where it happened,” Savante, who serves as an executive producer on the project and plays Hazel’s father, William Miner, told The Christian Post. “Hazel Miner is a young American heroine whose voice deserves to be heard. This is a true-life survival thriller.”
HAZEL’S HEART tells the story of teen Hazel Miner, who must help her siblings survive after they get lost in a dangerous blizzard.
“I am a father. I’m also a person of faith,” Savante said of his decision to work on the movie. “And what I appreciated about this script was that the faith element was subtle. It wasn’t melodramatic. It wasn’t beaten over the head.”
Speaking about the character of Hazel, he stressed how much she “leaned on her faith,” adding, “That was the beacon that drove the story forward.”
HAZEL’S HEART received a positive review from Movieguide®, praising its “strong Christian, biblical, morally uplifting worldview” and “wonderful, inspiring, uplifting message.”
Director and writer Daniel Bielinski spoke to The National Catholic Register about his own personal connection to the story told in HAZEL’S HEART.
“I’m based in North Dakota. My company is dedicated to telling North Dakota stories. And I’m also a parent of six kids. I thought it would be a very beautiful story to tell,” he said. “It’s a beautiful true story of courage and resilience, so powerfully embodied in this heroic young girl.”
Bielinski continued, “And then it also is a beautiful story of Christlike sacrifice, which has resonated with me on many different levels…I think the story itself — the kinds of stories that we tell with my company are very important to me. Hazel was a story that I wanted my children to hear. And that’s a big motivator for me.”
Madelyn Dundon, who plays Hazel, shared her excitement about HAZEL’S HEART’s premiere in a recent Instagram post.
“What an incredible weekend reuniting with the cast and crew of HAZEL,” Dundon wrote. “A premiere weekend was held in North Dakota — where we shot the film last year — for the local community as well as the cast and crew. To say I am honored is an understatement…getting to meet literally hundreds of people from the Dakotas who have grown up learning the story of Hazel Miner, as well as meeting descendants of her surviving sibling, Emmett Miner, was mind blowing and emotional.”
She continued, “I could not be more proud of my fellow cast, the crew, and this film. It is a work of art. This experience brought so many beautiful people into my life that I now get to call friends. I cannot wait for the rest of the world to get to see this story about love, sacrifice, and courage.”
HAZEL’S HEART is now available to stream on Angel Studio’s streaming service.
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