Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 03/13/23

A great Hollywood ending/beginning. Just when you’re almost ready to give up on the Academy Awards (and Hollywood) they deliver a moment like this.

For those of you unfamiliar with Ke Huy Quan‘s inspirational journey check out Tracy Smith‘s illuminating profile on CBS Sunday Morning profile. His amazing Vietnamese refugee/American Dream story is a great lesson in the values of love, perseverance and gratitude.

It’s also a timely reminder of the plight of refugees today. Which brings me to In Solidarity with Ukraine, a Knights of Columbus-produced film selected by the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission that continues making the rounds on ABC affiliates across the country. For more information, including the broadcast schedule, go to ukrainefilm.com. Check out the trailer below.

The 25th annual Sarasota Film Festival (which begins on Friday, March 24) has announced that it will close on Sunday, April 2 with a special presentation of Amazon Prime Video’s On a Wing and a Prayer. The film, directed by Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer) and starring Dennis Quaid, Heather Graham and Jesse Metcalfe tells the true story of a pilot who dies unexpectedly while flying and a passenger who’s forced to land the plane safely in order to save his entire family.

Producer Roma Downey will also be in attendance to receive the Sarasota Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award. Prior to that (on Saturday, April 1), the Touched by an Angel star will host a book signing and intimate conversation in support of her newest devotional Be An Angel at Bookstore1 in downtown Sarasota. You can read my conversation with her about the book here.

SFF, one of the largest in North America, draws over 50,000 ticket holders annually. On a Wing and a Prayer makes its Prime Video debut on Good Friday (April 7). Check out the trailer below.

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.