Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 03/22/23
A true champion. This being the day after World Down Syndrome Day, it seems especially appropriate to chat with the successful young actor (and accomplished Special Olympics athlete) Cole Sibus who is living – and succeeding – with the condition. Cole first made an impression on television viewers when he played Ansel Parios, the younger brother of private eye Dex Parios (Cobie Smulders) on the 2019 ABC private eye series Stumptown. Now 24 years old, he’s making an impression again as one of the Gunnar brothers on the Pure Flix western miniseries A Thousand Tomorrows (based on the Karen Kingsbury novel) which drops its climactic finale this Friday (3/24). In his career so far, he has become an inspirational role model for anyone seeking to overcome whatever handicaps challenge them.
JWK: Congratulations on your success with the miniseries – which, I’m told, could possibly continue.
Cole Sibus: Thank you.
JWK: You’ve had an interesting journey on your way to A Thousand Tomorrows. You’ve been a Special Olympics athlete – competing in both softball and swimming. What was that experience like and how does it compare to acting?
CS: It compares to acting. Being an athlete is (about) practice. For acting, you have your own acting coach. You (also) have your own coach for sports.
JWK: Prior to your role in A Thousand Tomorrows, you were in the cast of the ABC private eye show Stumptown. Did you enjoy that experience?
CS: I enjoyed that experience. I love meeting new people. The crew and the cast taught me (a lot).
JWK: Did you learn a lot about acting on that show?
CS: Yes.
JWK: What would you like people to know about you?
CS: I’m very smart, cool and outgoing.
JWK: Tell me about your role in A Thousand Tomorrows.
CS: I play Carl Joseph. He has Down syndrome.
JWK: Do you relate to the character?
CS: Yes. We love God in the same way.
JWK: So, faith is important to you.
CS: Yes.
JWK: What do you hope people take from your character?
CS: If you get to know Carl Joseph, he will be there for you.
JWK: So, he’s very loyal.
CS: Yes.
JWK: That’s a great quality. So, what do you see in your own tomorrows? Do plan on more acting?
CS: Yes. I want to continue my acting. I want to do an action film…and commercials.
JWK: What kind of movies do you like? Do you have any favorites?
CS: Right now I love Baywatch.
JWK: Do you mean the TV show?
CS: No, the movie Baywatch with Dwayne Johnson.
JWK: What kind of roles would you like to play in the future?
CS: In the future, what ever God wants me to play I will be there for that.
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And the Christopher Award goes to… The theme of people looking beyond their own needs to help others runs through the 21 films, TV programs, and books for adults and young people being honored with 2023 Christopher Awards. Now in their 74th year, the awards honor writers, producers, directors, authors and illustrators whose work reflects the Christopher motto that “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” As Christophers Director of Communications Tony Rossi puts it “The stories we’re honoring acknowledge that the struggles we endure in life coexist with beauty and hope when we work together, despite our differences, to add love and healing to our world.”
Without further ado here are this year’s winners:
TV, Cable, & Streaming
Amber Brown (Apple TV +) – Developed, written, directed, and executive produced by Bonnie Hunt, the family comedy series tells the story of a compassionate 11-year-old title girl who, in the episodes Love is Here to Stay and Life, befriends an elderly widow at a nursing home and takes her on an outing that is both comical and touching.
American Masters: Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands (PBS) – A profile of the groundbreaking African-American singer and civil rights pioneer whose success opened the door for other black performers in classical music.
11 Minutes (Paramount Plus) – The docuseries immerses viewers in the 2017 mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert, highlighting the citizens and first responders who risked their lives to save others—and the healing they found in community with each other.
Facing Suicide (PBS) – The exploration into the plague of suicides afflicting the U.S. offers concrete stories of hope from those who avoided this fatal step and destigmatizes the topic of mental health challenges so those who suffer can find the help they need.
The Gift of Peace (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – Angry at God after her husband’s death, an artist joins a support group in which the bereaved help ease each other’s burdens.
A Waltons Thanksgiving (The CW) – A heroic and goodhearted young boy who is abused by his foster father seeks sanctuary with the loving Depression-era family.
Feature Films
The Best We’ve Got: The Carl Erskine Story (Ted Green Films) – The documentary tells the story of the former Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers star’s successes on the baseball diamond while highlighting his commitment to promoting racial equality and his advocacy for those with intellectual challenges after his son was born with Down syndrome.
A Man Called Otto (Columbia Pictures/A Sony Company) – Depressed after the death of his wife, a curmudgeonly senior (Tom Hanks) discovers that he still has reasons for living when he allows himself to share and receive the love of those around him.
Mother Teresa: No Greater Love (Castletown Media) – A profile of Mother Teresa’s legacy of serving Christ in the poor, as well as her apostolate’s current work bringing comfort to the dying, food to the hungry, hope to prisoners and addicts and love to everyone they come in contact with.
Books for Adults
American Sirens (Hachette Books) – Author Kevin Hazzard shares the largely unknown story of the African-American men in 1960s and 70s Pittsburgh who became this country’s first paramedics, saved countless lives and set the gold standard for emergency medicine around the world.
Jon Meacham’s And There Was Light (Random House/Penguin Random House) – The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian explores how Abraham Lincoln’s belief in Providence and a “transcendent moral order” guided his efforts to end slavery while preserving the Union against the forces of racism, money, and power.
Father Ed (Orbis Books) – Author Dawn Eden Goldstein delves into the life of Father Ed Dowling, the Jesuit priest who became Alcoholics Anonymous Founder Bill Wilson’s spiritual sponsor, fostered the growth of AA among Catholics, championed civil rights and social justice issues and tirelessly ministered to those with nervous disorders, troubled marriages and anyone in need of help.
The Other Side of Yet (Atria Books/Simon & Schuster) – Following the devastating murder of her daughter by her ex-husband, Michelle D. Hord‘s powerful memoir recounts her pursuit of justice and how God healed her emotional wounds so that she could help others find light in the midst of their own darkness.
Sisters of Mokama (Viking/Penguin Random House) – New York Times Deputy Op-Ed Editor Jyoti Thottam reveals the never-before-told story of six Kentucky nuns who traveled to the poorest state in India to build a hospital that served everyone, regardless of caste or religion while offering new opportunities to Indian women looking to pursue careers in the medical field.
Wild Ride (Convergent Books/Penguin Random House) – Hayley Arceneaux’s memoir chronicling her improbable and faith-filled journey from 10-year-old cancer patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, to physician’s assistant at St. Jude’s years later, to her journey into space as an astronaut on the Inspiration4 mission.
Books for Young People
Feathers From Above by Kathleen Davis, illustrated by Martyna Nejman (Preschool and up, Kathleen Davis Books) – Children learn to see the feathers that show up in random places as having come from their guardian angels who watch over them always because of God’s love.
Wolves Aren’t Welcome by Cheryl Benner, illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler, (Kindergarten and up, Wild Iris Publishing) – Gabbaluchie, a genial wolf, has to overcome stereotypes when looking for a new place to live.
Remember Us with Smiles by Grace and Gary Jansen, illustrated by Barbara Bongini (ages 6 and up, Loyola Press) – A celebration of the extraordinary ordinary moments of life between parents and children that create a lifetime of memories.
Growing an Artist, written and illustrated by John Parra (ages 7 and up, A Paula Wiseman Book/Simon & Schuster) – Inspired by the author’s childhood, the slice-of-life story follows Juanito as he joins his Papi for a hard but satisfying day of work as a landscape architect and discovers his own artistic talents in the process.
Alias Anna by Susan Hood with Greg Dawson (ages 10 and up, Harper Collins Publishers) – The novel-in-verse shares the real-life story of two Ukrainian Jewish teenagers whose piano playing talents helped them outwit the Nazis, survive the Holocaust and build new lives in the United States.
Devotion: Young Readers Edition by Adam Makos (Delacorte Press/Penguin Random House) – The YA adaptation of the author’s 2015 bestseller (which became a 2022 film) details the true story of two U.S. Navy pilots during the Korean War who move beyond their different racial and economic backgrounds to become close friends that risk their lives for their country and for each other.
Founded in 1945 by Maryknoll Father James Keller, The Christophers is a nonprofit organization rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity.
John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.
Encourage one another and build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11
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