ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN NEWS) – These days, the phrase “faith-based film” typically conjures one of two mental images: a wholesome vanilla-cast story or one with zany antics courtesy of a man in a heavy woman’s costume toting a pistol. But local indie filmmaker James Hunter, who showed the world what the Orlando film community is made of with his first feature The Breaking Point, promises to shatter the faith-based film stereotype with his second feature offering The Turnaround, which is set to have its red carpet world premiere at Altamonte Mall’s AMC Theaters at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sunday, December 4, 2016.

Hunter intentionally constructed The Turnaround story in a way that bucks the faith-based film status quo. The Brooklyn, New York native is no stranger to the streets, and his personal and spiritual journey equipped him to tell the story he presents in The Turnaround. “I noticed that a lot of faith-based movies were geared more towards people who are already in the Church,” Hunter said in a recent FNN News interview. “But I wanted to do a movie that would reach the people that regular faith-based movies don’t reach—the people in the streets.” He summarizes it this way on the film’s website:

“The Turnaround Movie is for people who society has given up on and for those who gave up on themselves. But by the grace of God they were able to turn their lives around, or they’re currently in the process of turning their lives around.”

The movie, starring Kibwe Dorsey, comedian Kountry Wayne, and Erik Grey (The Breaking Point), follows a young man named Marquise (Daniel Augustin) who is in a tug of war between living on the narrow path of righteousness and living the street life. He courts young Tiffany (Sh’Kia Dennis) and is tugged toward the narrow path by her father, Pastor Evans (Dorsey), while being tugged toward the streets by his drug trafficking cousin D-Rock (Grey). Marquise struggles to get his life in order while Tiffany and her father clash due to his ministry overshadowing their relationship. Viewers can expect a compelling battle for Marquise on four fronts: the conflict within himself to choose the right path in life, persuasion from D-Rock and Pastor Evans, and with Tiffany as well, whom Marquise loves and is a strong character in her own right.

As the Dove Foundation stated of the characters’ journey in its detailed review of the film, “…Things definitely get worse before they improve, but this film does a good job in showing what a little faith can do.” The Dove Foundation awarded the film with its Faith-Friendly Seal for ages 12-plus.

The Breaking Point had its red carpet world premiere in Orlando at Universal City Walk’s AMC Theaters in April 2014. The reception was so immense that its after party at Bob Marley – A Tribute to Freedom on City Walk yielded the highest attendance the restaurant had on a Sunday night in fifteen years. The Breaking Point went on to have premieres in Miami and Manhattan and won several film festival awards, and by the end of that year, Hunter secured an international DVD and cable video-on-demand (VOD) distribution deal. The film’s success was due in no small part to its grassroots support, which has followed him to The Turnaround and continues to grow. “We’ve got a couple thousand people around us now, we’re trying to get it to a couple million,” Hunter told FNN News.

If that wasn’t enough, Hunter and his team scored a McLaren for use in the film. Hunter told FNN News that this was made possible with the help of the Websters, who opened their luxurious home as a filming location for The Turnaround. Scott Webster, who had ordered a McLaren at the time, connected Hunter with the dealership, which allowed him to include the car in the film.

The Hero’s Journey

Hunter’s love for film is kept in check by only one thing: his health. As a paraplegic, he is wary of the amount of time he spends in his motorized wheelchair. He pushed the limits while filming The Breaking Point and developed a pressure sore midway into production. His last pressure sore he’d developed while attending Full Sail University and required five major surgeries to treat.

His first day of filming involved “fourteen to eighteen hours of sitting,” from the moment he first got in the chair to the transit time to and from the set, to the moment he got out of it to sleep. With a pressure sore in a place that’s difficult to heal, it took a toll on him and he had to step down from directing the film. Fortunately, he’d been grooming Amanda Marquis as first assistant director (1st A.D.), so when he left production on bed rest she stepped in as director and the filming resumed.

He was on bed rest for seven days after filming The Breaking Point. After The Turnaround he convalesced for nine.

He is now ready to lean more towards producing so that he spends less time in the chair. “I can do eight hours for about three days and then take a full day of rest after that.”

Hunter explained that he used mistakes from The Breaking Point and self-corrected for The Turnaround. One such correction was bringing Marquis on as co-director from the start, which evenly distributed the production time between them in order to prevent another sore. Secondly, he acquired a sales agent prior to filming, which has proven helpful in securing interested investors and working towards distribution. Thirdly, he made sure to amass a cast and crew of team players dedicated to the positive movement, many of which followed him from The Breaking Point, including The Turnaround’s bad guy, Erik Grey.

The Guy Behind the Bad Guy

Erik Grey has been acting for six years and worked with James Hunter on a number of his projects, dating all the way back to a brief appearance as an abusive boyfriend in Hunter’s second short drama “Juxed.” Grey has consistently portrayed fierce characters in Hunter’s projects, including both features, and is at his most virile in The Turnaround. “D-Rock is a little more ruthless,” Grey said of his character in The Turnaround compared to his lead character Sean in The Breaking Point. “He’s money-motivated…He knows a lot about the Bible, but he uses it to justify what he needs.” Concerning Grey’s performance in this feature, Hunter said, “Erik was let loose in this. He was held back in The Breaking Point.”

“Sean was much more analytical,” Grey noted. “I wanted to do this role because he [D-Rock] is edgier than Sean…which ironic since it’s a faith movie.”

Hunter added that he loves to allow the actors to improvise during filming, and he let Grey do that for The Turnaround. “What’s on the page isn’t set in stone…There were eight to ten instances in which the improv made it better than it would’ve been based on what was in the script.”

Grey previously had a larger logistical role in Hunter’s productions, including helping others with their lines during rewrites, but for this film, he narrowed his focus. “After that first table read, there were a couple of changes in the script, but I didn’t read them. I focused on that first version and on my character.” This time around, Grey additionally designed the film’s poster.

Seeing it Sunday

Due to immense demand, VIP and general admission tickets for Sunday’s 5:30 p.m. screening and all VIP tickets for the 3 p.m. screening are already sold out. However, viewers still wanting general admission tickets for the 3 p.m. screening can still get them here.

The Orlando premiere is the first of many. Hunter and his team are in talks to premiere the film in Tampa, Miami, Atlanta, and other major cities.

Hunter is thankful for this milestone. His most emotional moment came when the film wrapped principal photography. “Being able to say that I had two movies in the bag was very emotional for me. By any measure, anybody would be able to objectively say that I improved upon my work with The Breaking Point.”

“My favorite part of filmmaking is the filming and the end result,” Grey expressed in his interview. “I wasn’t as involved in this one, so I’ll experience the screening with everybody else…I want to see the people’s reactions. I want them to leave this movie different than they came. I hope they laugh and cry…and support the movement.”

“You gotta be resilient. It’s a deep belief you’ve gotta have,” Hunter says of his films and movement. “If it ain’t one thing, it’s another, but at the end of the day when you see everything come together, it’s a beautiful thing.”

_{Florida National News Editor Mellissa Thomas is a journalist, seven-time author, manuscript editor, speaker, and author mentor. When she’s not writing for FNN News, she’s helping procrastinators and business owners clinch their authority in the world through authorship.}