Pass the Light

The story of Steve Bellafiore, a 17-year-old high school senior who decides to run for Congress in order to protect the faith that he so loves.

Hawks, the film’s writer and producer, took just over a week to write the script.

“And I loved it. It’s what I stand for… in life and as a person,” says Goodwin, the film’s director. Morally and ethically, he says, he stands for being good to one another and talking about our differences without hostility.

Script in hand, Goodwin shot the film in 17 days. It seemed like they were ready for the big screen, but there was a hitch. Deals they had made or expected to close fell through because the film includes two gay characters. The storyline includes protagonist Steve discovering the two men are a couple and processing that information. He struggles to understand, but with his good heart and kind nature, he wants to build bridges rather than judge.

They kept the gay characters and Steve’s assertion that people should at least be “up for the conversation” about LGBT people. At one Kansas screening of the film, they sat near an exit in case their critics were proven right. What if audiences reacted horribly to the positive portrayal of two gay men and the message of inclusion?

As it turned out, Goodwin says, those fears were unfounded: “The response was a standing ovation.”

Hawks says he doesn’t expect the film to change people’s beliefs, but it could help change the way they communicate. He hopes it will compel them to have “an ounce of openness” and to come from a place of love when it comes to subjects such as LGBT inclusion.

Trailer...