80. Good vs Evil in Movies: How can we teach our kids about virtue in film? Faith + Christian Fantasy: An award-winning filmmaker shares his experience

Can you remain a Christian in Hollywood? How can we encourage creativity and love of God within our children?

Sheila explores these essential questions for Christian parents with award-winning filmmaker Wilson HIckman, the creator of the Christian fantasy series, "The Lost Healer."

Sheila spoke with filmmaker Wilson Hickman to ask whether Christian virtue can survive the entertainment world without turning stories into sermons. 

We talk testimony, craft, and "The Lost Healer" as a fantasy adventure that opens doors for real conversations about truth, good versus evil, hope and transformation 
• What is "God-honouring entertainment?"

• How can Christians engage in the culture and win the culture wars?

To connect with Wilson Hickman, watch the award-winning proof-of-concept series pilot, for more updates on its release, and to support the film, please visit

https://thelosthealer.com

The film is now in pre-production, thanks be to God!

Transcript

Holiness In Hollywood? Faith in Film? Is it possible"

Movie 0:00

We both know the prophecies But there wasn't any proof

Sheila Nonato 0:16

Can, can they pursue a career in Hollywood? How does it... How do you remain a Christian in Hollywood? Is that even possible?

Wilson Hickman 0:22

That's a very good question.

Sheila Nonato 0:25

Hello, Sisters in Christ. Welcome to the Veil and Armour Podcast. And this week, we have as our guest storyteller and filmmaker Wilson Hickman. Can we find holiness in Hollywood? Wilson introduces us to his award-winning project, "The Lost Healer," which is a Christian fantasy series. It introduces Christian virtues in a way that is accessible to all Let's hear from Wilson Hickman on whether virtue can overcome vice in the arena of theater and movies. Thank you and God bless!

Welcome And Opening Prayer

Sheila Nonato 1:40

So welcome to the Veil and Armour Podcast. And today we have Wilson Hickman, a storyteller, director, and follower of Jesus. And before we start off, may we-- can you lead us in prayer, please?

Wilson Hickman 1:53

Absolutely, I'd be honoured to. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for this time that we have together, getting to meet over this podcast and getting to share about, um, the Christian symbolism in "The Lost Healer," and talk about how you can work through the entertainment and the arts to, to convey your truth to the masses and the importance of the truth of the gospel. Lord, we thank you that, um, uh, both of us are able to come together and, and have this meeting. Lord, we pray for, uh, Sheila that she will, um, continue to recover from this illness, and we thank you that she's, um, recovered mostly this far.

Wilson Hickman 2:31

And Lord, we just pray that our conversation would be a blessing to each other and that it would reflect you accurately and that we would be, um, good ambassadors of the gospel you've entrusted to us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen

Sheila Nonato 2:44

Amen. Thank you for that. And so yeah, you mentioned I-- so I've been having this illness for about a month, so I, I've not been able to do really the podcast in that time, so I've had to sort of be creative with that. But anyway, I thank you for those prayers. Um, yeah, so I, when I saw this in my inbox, um, about your project, I thought, "Wow." Like, I was thinking, like, "Lord of the Rings," to be honest. Like, initially that was my thought. Um, so okay, first of all, introduce yourself to us, please. Like, uh, you seem like... Are you a Gen X-er? Am I, like, miscategorizing you? What--

Wilson Hickman 3:19

You see, I, I, I'm awkwardly on the line. Um, during my childhood I was told I was a millennial, and then once I hit college I started getting called Gen Z.

Sheila Nonato 3:26

So one of those things. Okay. Oh, okay, okay, okay. I actually, to be honest, k- keep confusing which one is what. Yeah. But I'm, I'm just saying that you look, uh, fairly young, but I hope that's not, like, an insult to you or anything like that. Oh, not at all. Okay. Okay. I, I get it all the time. Okay. Okay. You're like a protege, I would say. So yeah, tell us about yourself, please.

Wilson’s Testimony And Calling

Wilson Hickman 3:45

All right. So, um, I'm Wilson Hickman, and, uh, I have two, uh, two, uh, passions in life, first one being, uh, service to the Lord. I was blessed to be raised in a, in a Christian home, come to know Jesus at an early age. Um, the second passion is creativity. I have loved storytelling from an early age. And it's interesting to see how these two passions have grown and fed each other as the, uh, as my life has progressed. So I would say that, um, even though I was raised in a Christian home, my faith didn't really become my own until I was maybe 14, 15. Um, I, I, I heard the gospel presented in a way that was, um, I'd never heard it, uh, explained before, and it was basically walking me through the Ten Commandments.

Wilson Hickman 4:31

Uh, thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not murder, thou shalt not, um, covet the, the possessions of others, and realizing that God is judging not just your outer actions, but also your inner intentions. So for instance, in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, "If you even become angry with your brother without cause and say to him, 'You fool,' then you're in danger of judgment and under the command you shall not murder." And so even if you haven't physically murdered someone, you've hated someone, it's, it's-- God is still gonna judge your intentions. And I realize under such a holy standard, like Romans says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and I realized that's why I need a Saviour.

Wilson Hickman 5:03

Jesus didn't just come to make up the difference in my good efforts. He came to live a perfect life I could never live, and His death and resurrection, His death is payment for my sins, and His resurrection is proof that He can raise me to new life if I put my faith in Him, not in my own efforts. And so I realized just the depth of His amazing sacrifice, and I realized that, okay, I need to spend the rest of my life living out of gratitude and service to Him. So that was a, a radical shift in my thinking where my faith really became my own.

Wilson Hickman 5:32

And then at that point, I'd already d- realized I loved writing books because I learned to type on a computer around age 10. Before that, I would literally hand write books, like to pick up a pencil and do it the hard way, like write out entire books. And, um, yeah, that didn't last too long once I learned how to type though. Then I really took off. And I was writing books, which gradually led to writing screenplays. By the time I hit college age, I started thinking, "Well, I'm not sure what I wanna go to college for. I could either do ministry or filmmaking." And the Lord, uh, I feel He impressed on my heart that you're supposed to, uh, go to film school, but you can use filmmaking and storytelling as a means to glorify the Lord and to spread the gospel that way. And so, um, and I really was convicted that, uh, cinema is a way that it can be very influential in the culture. And so I, I, I went that route and made several short films, was blessed to, uh, do that during college and after college. And now we get to the present where I was-- I've been blessed to create a proof of concept episode for a live action Christian themed fantasy series called "The Lost Healer." And I'm glad, um, you resonated with the "Lord of the Rings" connection because, um, it's, it's very much in that genre.

Symbolism Without A Sermon

Wilson Hickman 6:48

Al- as well as "The Chronicles of Narnia" would be another strong influence. Um, uh, "Pilgrim's Progress," uh, is another good one because basically it is a series of fictional characters in a fantasy world, but each of the characters are inspired by a different stage of the Christian's faith journey. So you have the faithful follower, you have the seeker, you have the skeptic, you have the, uh, the conformed believer from Romans 12 who is conformed to the ways of the world instead of being transformed by the renewing of his mind.

Wilson Hickman 7:16

All these characters, though, are intended to simultaneously be a reflection of the Christian's journey, but also to have a fictional narrative that they go through with their own personalities, and that narrative stands on its own. It's never, it's never intended to be preachy. This is the inspiration behind it, but people can watch the film and watch the series and come away, you know, just being entertained. But hopefully the entertainment is a launching point to then discuss these spiritual matters. Okay. So that's interesting that it's sort of not preaching to you, but it's telling you a story, uh, with the underly- underlying biblical story or the biblical principles- Yes uh, sort of kinda in the background or Are they sort of an- anchoring themes? Ab- But you, you... Yeah.

Sheila Nonato 8:06

So if you were not a- if you were not a Christian, you wouldn't, you wouldn't pick it up. But if you were a Christian, you would, and then eventually you kind of sort of have this grand theme at the end that you would-

Wilson Hickman 8:17

Exactly. Yeah. My, m- my hope, my hope is that believers can share this with their unbelieving friends and say- Okay "Hey, here's a fun, here's a fun fantasy show you can enjoy, but also here's some of the inspiration behind the characters in it," and it's a launching point to discuss the gospel that way. Uh, that being said, I do think you will get a very strong sense of good versus evil and the spirituality of that battle- Okay in the series because, um, that's definitely woven throughout it o- overtly, albeit through symbolism, similar to C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia." Um, but, um, I'm trying to, uh, base the storytelling style off of actual history recorded in the Bible, because in the Old Testament, much of it's historical narrative. But we have the advantage of hindsight. We can look back and see all these twists and turns in the historical narratives that actually foreshadow Jesus and his life.

Wilson Hickman 9:05

But those are still real events that happened to real people, and those real people in the moment weren't thinking, "Oh, I'm, I'm, I'm kind of resembling Jesus in this way." And then 2,000 years later, people will look back and say, "My life kind of resembled Jesus in this manner." Um, so, you know, their lives, quote-unquote, "stand on their own" as authentically lived stories. And then we look back and say, "Oh, but God, as the grand storyteller, was also planting these, uh, types and shadows of Jesus as he goes." So that's what my storytelling is based off of. I wanna tell compelling narratives about believable characters who come to life, but there are types and shadows of Jesus woven organically into the story. And because of my Christian worldview, I think that's inevitable. Um, one thing that I don't think gets talked about enough in art is that whether a person is intending to preach a certain point of view or not, their belief system and the lens through which they look at the world is gonna bleed into their storytelling. They can't help it. It's just the way, the way you see the world is the way you're gonna write your story to an extent. Your, your, your b- your core beliefs and those themes are gonna reveal themselves in your writing.

Sheila Nonato 10:03

Yes, and, um, yeah, as you were saying, evangelizing when, you know, Jesus asks us to preach to all the nations, um, He didn't just say preach to the Christians, so um-

Wilson Hickman 10:13

Exactly

Sheila Nonato 10:13

and, and sometimes, yeah, as you were saying, uh, if it's explicitly a certain type of film, some people might not want to sort of explore that option. But if it was sort of more general, like I, I mean, even Shakespeare referenced the Bible, but he didn't like s- explicitly like quote this verse, that verse. But it was i- woven into his stories because it's, uh, reflecting an eternal truth. Um-

Wilson Hickman 10:38

Ex- exactly yeah. And, and, and, and that, that goes to the essence of story as well. Uh, by the way, it's not just, it's not just being, uh, uh, preachy of the gospel in, in a Christian film. People don't wanna be preached at anything in a story. 'Cause when I sit down to watch a movie or read a book, I don't wanna be lectured and told exactly what to think. That's not what a-- That's not what you go to story for.

Sheila Nonato 10:58 Sheila Nonato 10:58

A story is supposed to... There's supposed to be a sense of escapism. You get lost in the lives of these characters. These characters should believably come to life. They should feel like real people. They should make consistent decisions throughout the story that we feel like they would believably make in those circumstances. And because of our nature as being made in God's image, He's the ultimate storyteller, He's the ultimate artist, we connect with story. We connect with plot, setup, resolution, and when that's done well, it can be made to make us feel and contemplate an, an eternal truth, like you were saying. But it's, it's not meant to be a lecture. Those are two different things, and when people go to a story and instead they get a lecture, it, it feels like a false advertisement, and that goes for, you know, anything. So a, a, a good story well told will sweep us up and make us feel rather than consciously think about what I'm being told to believe. Y es, absolutely. And the way Jesus explained, um, his lessons, uh, he used stories, parables- Yep, exactly to, you know, to, so that people would understand. And back then it was an agricultural society, so he would use kind of those imagery of the wheat and the bread and... But, um, yeah, so I, I, I really, I commend you for going this route because, I mean, yeah, there's also the explicitly Christian, um, uh, art, uh, storytelling out there that's doing really well. "The Chosen," I can think of "The Chosen," "The Passion of the Christ," obviously explicitly Christian. But we do also need, uh, that other type of art form, um, to reach other people who may not, who may not know of Christ, um, or who may not know of Christianity, um, and to sort of, um, invite them to explore, um, you know, this type of storytelling. And can you tell-

Wilson Hickman 12:38

Exactly yeah,

Sheila Nonato 12:38

and can you tell us the inspiration? You did say a little bit about the story. Perhaps you don't wanna give away everything. But what was the inspiration for the story that you-- but, you know, it's gonna be... Is it in theaters right now? Not yet. No.

Wilson Hickman 12:52

So, so right now we have a proof of concept episode, and this is for what's intended to be a TV series.

Sheila Nonato 12:56

Oh, TV series, okay.

Wilson Hickman 12:57

S o yeah. So it's the proof of concept episode. You can actually watch it now on theloststealer.com. But it's also making its rounds in film festivals at the moment. Okay. Um, we were actually, uh, blessed to win a best TV series at International Christian Film Festival a few months ago, and that was a huge blessing.

Sheila Nonato 13:11

Okay.

Wilson Hickman 13:11

I mean, God's been opening so many doors on the festival circuit, it's incredible.

The Lost Healer Story Setup

Wilson Hickman 13:15

Um, but to answer your question about inspiration, uh, yeah, the original idea for it came from the two main characters. So, uh, the series is the story of a young princess named Keva and her brother, uh, Rian. S- so I am best friends with my sister in real life, so I tend to write stories that center on the unique bond between siblings. And I was inspired by these characters, uh, to create a story around them where their kingdom has been invaded by an op- by an oppressive, uh, tyrannical king from, uh, this empire, and their parents were both killed, and now they've grown up without their parents, and they have to exist underneath this regime. And the brother, Prince Rian, is going to be made king of his land, but he's just like a puppet ruler for the high king who invaded them.

Wilson Hickman 14:04

And he feels like he has to go along with this high king's agenda because he's, he's got no other choice, and he wants to protect the only family he has left, his sister. And that's an emotion I can strongly relate to because as an older brother, I very much care about protecting my sister Um, but the, the, the problem with, uh, what's happening with Prince Rian is that his father died searching for this lost relic called the Healer, which is where the title of the series comes in.

Wilson Hickman 14:30

And there's been a prophesied, a prophecy that says when the Healer is found, it will bring peace to their land, and it will usher in the return of their true king, who's meant to represent Christ. And most of his people have lost faith in the prophecy, and they think they just need to go along with this conquering regime. But Rian's sister, Princess Kiva, she still has faith that their father's work can be completed, and she goes on this forbidden quest in order to find the Healer and restore peace to her kingdom and save them from this conquering regime. So that's the story of the series, and the thing is, the brother and the sister, they both deeply love each other.

Wilson Hickman 15:04

It's just that Kiva is expressing her love by trying to pursue what's true and what their kingdom actually needs, whereas Rian is, uh, directing his love in a way where he's trying to do what's convenient and what bows to the tyrant instead of, uh, standing up to him. So his intentions are good, but much like the believer in Romans 12:2, who is conformed to the ways of the world instead of being transformed by the renewing of his mind, he's, he's expressing his love and taking his good intentions in the wrong way. And so his character arc, without spoiling too much, is intended to be realizing that there are some battles you actually have to fight, even if it doesn't look like you can win, 'cause you have to fight for what's true and what's good and what's beautiful.

Wilson Hickman 15:45

And so that's, that's kind of how his arc is set up. And those two characters were the primary inspiration for the series. The, the, the, the, the specific situations and obstacles I threw at them kinda come naturally once you have your characters and their, their core conflict. And that's important too, I'll say. When you're developing a story, um, I usually start with the characters. I don't necessarily start with the world and the rules of the magic system or anything like that. That kind of writes itself to a degree if you have compelling characters, because if you have really compelling characters, you have people who will come alive, feel like human beings, and then the most interesting decisions that they will make based on their established thought processes, that becomes your guide for, "Oh, what's the worst thing I can throw at this character?" '

Wilson Hickman 16:28

Cause I know they really like this thing. They really don't like this thing. They're really afraid of this thing. They believe this false thing. And so then I challenge them based on what I know about them. And then that's more entertaining for the audience too, because then the characters behave like real people, and they connect with real people

Turning A Script Into Reality

Sheila Nonato 16:45

Amazing. And so how did this dream, this inspiration come to life? I mean, I, I suppose you, you, you know, you said you'd like to do this, and then, then you needed sort of a, you know, actors, you needed, um... I guess you would need also fundraising, right? To get the set and all that, you know, the camera equipment. I saw the, uh, the first episode, so it's really well done. Thank you. Um, and, uh, I also the one with where you were showing the basement, how it became a castle. I mean, can you tell us, like, how did this all kind of come together? Because it's, it's a, it's a dream that you, um, made into reality. So for all those budding, I guess, screenwriters, directors, um, out there, or mothers who have children who, who wanna maybe pursue art, uh, in this way later on, what, what's your advice to them? How did you get this project, uh, to come to reality?

Wilson Hickman 17:38

All right. So there's a lot of advice I can give, and I'm, I- I'm glad you watched those videos because, um, I really enjoy sharing the process, uh, behind it all. But the first piece of advice is if... when you're setting out to create anything, whether it's a book or a film or a piece of music, anything, and as a believer, you always want to be wary that this artistic passion you have will very easily become an idol if you're not careful. So guard against making your art passion an idol, because like any idol, it will disappoint you. You will have writer's block. You will have, you know, fluctuations in your productivity. And when those things happen, if your identity and your well-being are grounded in that art project, then your identity's gonna go up and down, and your emotions are gonna go up and down right along with it. But your, your identity and your sense of well-being needs to be grounded in God, 'cause He's unchanging. S

Wilson Hickman 18:26

o that's-- And that's something I had to learn the hard way. I didn't consciously set out to ever make anything I wrote into an idol, but I realized my emotions were a slave to how well my writing was going. And, um, so that's something I've had to wrestle with and by God's grace overcome. So that's my first piece of advice. But more specifically to the actual filmmaking process Continually, uh, saturate the process in prayer and trust in God's timing. Because I wrote these scripts, uh, a little over three years ago for the series, and I, I, I wanted to make it right then and there at the time, but I had just moved to a new state. I didn't know anybody. There weren't any really resources to get it made, and so I basically just had to sit on it and do some preliminary research of maybe this is a filming location, but I don't have a team to film there. I don't have actors, a- anything, so I guess I'll just have to wait. And then fast-forward to, uh, two years and I realized, okay, I've, I've made a few friends who are also filmmakers. I have some places I can reach out to to try to find people. I've saved up a lot of money. You were saying the thing about the money.

Wilson Hickman 19:29

Um, pretty much since college I've been saving and buying my own camera equipment. So that's important, too, is invest in yourself rather than, rather than, uh, saying, "Okay, when the time comes I'll, I'll try to get a bunch of gear." Even if you don't have a project you're intending to shoot right then and there, you know, put some money aside, be patient over time, buy yourself a camera, buy yourself a good lens, and then start just practice shooting projects. Even if it's something you never intend to release, just keep your skills sharp Um, but how this came about specifically is after years of doing that, um, had, you know, my own camera, some, some equipment like a jib and a, a slider, some, some stuff like that, some lights. I, I said, "Okay, I really, really don't have the resources to make an entire season of 'The Lost Healer.'" And I kept trying to write a script that was more manageable, like a standalone script that I could make with my resources.

Wilson Hickman 20:19

But I just couldn't get "The Lost Healer" out of my head, and I couldn't write anything else. It was like my God had cut off my creative valves for anything else. So I said, "Okay, what if I tried to make just a proof of concept for the series, and then market that and build an audience and see where it goes?" So I said, "Okay, um, how can I do that?" I have some, I have some money saved up, so I can pay actors. I can, I can pay a small crew. You know, we had a very small crew, but they were awesome. And but it's like, can I find a crew? So I reached out on a website called Backstage, which is a website I had used in college to find actors for short films. And, uh, I put out a casting call, which is basically where you write down, "Hey, here's the, here's the characters in my film. Here's roughly how old they are, what, what, what gender they are," et cetera. And, um, I had over... I had almost 100 odd, uh, submissions for Princess Keeva alone. A lot of people resonated with the fantasy element of this, and I'm like, "Okay, this is, this is something that people are excited about, you know, uh, from all backgrounds." And I-- that was really encouraging.

Wilson Hickman 21:18

So, uh, I h- held some auditions. We landed on, um, Allison, who played our, who played Princess Keeva. She was fantastic. They were all fantastic, but she was one of the ones cast early on because she was the main character, so like I wanted to cast, uh, an actor who looked like he could be her brother, and so that means casting her first. And I was blessed to find Evan to play her brother. They're not siblings in real life, by the way. Um, I just wanna make that clear 'cause they look so much like they are siblings, and they, they developed an instant dy- sibling dynamic on set, which was awesome. But they're actually not siblings. Um, and then in terms of the castle you alluded to, um, I actually was blessed to find a, an outdoor location, uh, called Blackacre, uh, State Nature Preserve. It's in Louisville, Kentucky, which is where we shot most of this. A

Wilson Hickman 21:59

nd, um, my contact there was a Christian, and she was awesome, and she was very encouraging to having us shoot a Christian fantasy project there. Uh, so that was, that took care of the outdoor location. And again, this was just doing research, like what are possible filming locations in this area? And, you know, you make a lot of blind emails and phone calls. But specifically with the castle, I almost rewrote the script to just not have the castle in there because I had an outdoor location, and I was like, "Well, maybe we can show the castle from outside but never actually go inside it." That way we shoot everything with the actors out- outdoors. But as I mentioned in the behind-the-scenes video that you may have watched, I was gonna take the castle out for practical considerations. I had no idea how we would do an indoor castle scene.

Wilson Hickman 22:44

But then I thought, Prince Rian's character, I don't wanna introduce him outdoors because that's just not who he is as a person. He's very reserved and cautious, and I wanted to introduce him in this claustrophobic castle library to reflect that, and in contrast with Kiva, who's adventurous, and we first see her outdoors in the woods. So I'm like, "Okay, well, I, I gotta have the castle now." But I... So I'm like, "Well, I can't film in a real castle. I don't have the budget. Um, so can I t- make an indoor room look like a castle?" I actually ended up searching up a variety of YouTube tutorials and, like, combining some techniques that I found. But long story short, we ended up very inexpensively getting some foam boards, like, from, uh, Home Depot, and painting them and carving them to look like stone. And, um, because the castle was so dark with just candlelight, it actually sold really well on camera. And I did plenty of camera tests before I committed to it 'cause I was like, "If this looks fake, I'm not gonna do it." But I did so many camera tests when I, I filled the room with haze. Haze is your friend when you're shooting indoors as a filmmaker. That's how you're able to see all the rays of sun coming through the window and why the castles have, like, this ha- the, the candles have, like, this halo effect around them. It's because the room is filled with haze. And, um, so you haze the room, you make it dark except for the candles and this fake sun pumping through a window. It, it, it's actually quite convincing. And, uh, so I was like, "Okay, this, this is good." Um, but again, it was all done very inexpensively.

Wilson Hickman 24:06

And one thing I will say as a piece of advice, as a general philosophy of filmmaking, especially indie filmmaking: you don't have to have a high-budget set. You just have to make whatever's in your camera frame look high budget. So i- in a lot of the shots in this episode, if you pan the camera even slightly to the right, you will see the modern couches in our basement. But it doesn't matter because the audience is never gonna see that. Wow, that's, that's amazing. I mean, you use the tools that you have, and, um, you let talent and, uh, wit and ingenuity and creativity to make everything else. And obviously God is at the center of it all. Absolutely. Um, but I just love your, I guess, is this a word that most people will know, pluck, your As far, I'm dating myself. But, um, I just love that kind of, yeah, that ingenuity and that kind of like can-do attitude that you have, that I'm gonna, I'm gonna make this, I'm gonna make this for God, and, uh, He's gonna, He's gonna do the rest. He's gonna help me to find all the actors and all the things that you need to make this, uh, come, come alive on screen.

Why Fantasy Fits Spiritual Truth

Sheila Nonato 25:22

And I'm just curious also, the fantasy adventure genre, why did you go this route? Okay. Fantasy has always been one of my favorite genres, um, going back to reading C.S. Lewis' Narnia as a kid. Um, and I think it's pretty telling that some of the, uh, biggest fantasy franchises that still shape our, our perception of the fantasy genre are The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, um, because those are both written by people with a, with a largely Christian worldview. And, uh, I think there's something in particular about fantasy that is very potent for exploring spiritual themes in a way that is felt rather than preached. And I think that's because On the one hand, fantasy has a very strong element of escapism. It takes us out of the real world, you know, different rules apply, different magic systems.

Sheila Nonato 26:17

A wide variety of things can happen. So it really expands our imagination, and it kind of awakens our inner child, which Jesus says in the, in the Bible that, you know, "Unless you humble yourself and become like this child, you'll never enter the kingdom of heaven." So there's an element to childlike humility, and I would even say childlike wonder, that is appropriate when approaching God. And if fantasy can get us to that place of childlike humility and wonder, then the, the door's open now for spiritual truths that may not have landed in a straightforward, you know, uh, logic-based sermon. So that is certainly one element. But then also, while being escapist and taking us out of the real world, fantasy simultaneously can elevate and amplify the struggle between good and evil.

Sheila Nonato 27:03

Because a film that's set in modern times, a l- a lot of times the problems are, you know, everyday and mundane. They're relatable. But they also, much like our lives, sometimes we can't appreciate the weight and the implications of our everyday struggles of good versus evil. We don't necessarily see, uh, our, our mundane day-to-day activities as having real eternal significance. But in a fantasy film, you have, you know, conflicts between major kingdoms, these enormous stakes, these, these incredible, you know, magical, uh, powers that are at war with each other. And all of that, I think, helps open our minds to the idea that our actions have potentially eternal im- impact. They have real significant weight because there is a real battle between good and evil in our world. It's between God and those who follow Him and the devil and those who follow him. And we don't see it visibly, and it's very, very easy to forget that it's there, but it nonetheless is.

Sheila Nonato 27:59

And I think fantasy with its larger than life battles and its amplification of good versus evil kind of opens our minds to appreciate the immensity and the reality of that battle, and it kind of gives us categories of wonder in which to place the glory of God, the evil of the devil, th- and, and those kinds of things that otherwise might get lost in the, in the shuffle of our mundane lives as just theological terms. But no, they're very real things. And so paradoxically, I think fantasy helps us understand and appreciate realities that we can't see in this world.

Reactions And Gospel Conversations

Sheila Nonato 28:35

And, um, what has been the response so far from, you know, both believers and those who are, I guess, seeking?

Wilson Hickman 28:43

That's been super encouraging. Um, I was actually able to, uh, use this, uh, use "The Lost Healer" whenever... It, it's a great conversation starter, for one thing. Whenever I'm, you know, talking to people on the street who may or may not be Christians, um, you know, they ask me what I've done lately, and I said, "Oh, I've made a fantasy project," they inevitably ask, "What inspired it?" And there's your opening right there. You can... You share the gospel and explain the spiritual significance of the characters' journeys, and you've opened the door for a gospel conversation that otherwise may not have ever come about.

Wilson Hickman 29:14

So I've done that several times. That's been really encouraging. Um, uh, the other thing is I've had so many people, believers and non-believers, just tell me they appreciate the soulfulness of the storytelling. They're like, "It's a story with soul to it." And I think that is the Christian worldview at work, certainly. Um, but also, I think it's just a, a reflection of the image of God in the storytelling, because I believe as Christians, sadly, Christians i- in the past anyway, have been known as, you know, not the best storytellers. Our, our content tends to not, not get recognized for that and, and to be, you know, kind of dismissed as overly preachy. However, I think we as Christians, we should be known for excellence in storytelling because we serve God, who's the ultimate artist, the ultimate storyteller, who's working all of history together for His glory, and He's the creator.

Wilson Hickman 30:05

If we serve Him and follow Him and want to image Him well, then we should be excellent storytellers as well. Um, and so, um, that really has, has been a strong passion of mine all throughout life, and that's why I'm so passionate, going back to what I said about the characters, about making the characters come alive as real people, because I don't want people to, to watch the, the series and think, "Well, in real life, this, this character in this situation wouldn't do that or wouldn't do this." It, it... Nothing checks me out of a movie faster when I'm watching something than a character doing something that is necessary for a plot development to happen, but that is totally out of character with that character's established personality.

Wilson Hickman 30:40

It's like the screenwriter just grabbed that character and treated them like a puppet and made them do this thing 'cause the screenwriter wanted this plot development to happen, and now that character no longer feels like a real person. I, I try to avoid that like the plague when I'm writing. Uh, the characters will often tell me what's gonna happen. I may have planned an event, but if the character won't actually choose the thing that makes that event happen, well, guess what? That event's not gonna happen. Or I need to come up with a way to force the character to choose, but it's not gonna be just making them behave out of character. So, um, so I've been really encouraged by people saying that, that the storytelling is, is soulful, and I've just been very, um, grateful for the, the, the festival award nominations and the award win that we've had, and I'm just grateful for everything God's done in the process.

Sheila Nonato 31:24

Can you talk a little bit more about that award and this festival?

Wilson Hickman 31:28

Oh, sure. Yeah, so it was the International Christian, uh, Film Festival, uh, a few months ago. And the cool thing about this festival is I didn't even think we were gonna get into it because I was trying to finish editing the episode. But basically what happens with these film festivals is you have to submit, or at least you should submit, several months in advance. Because the closer you get to their submission deadline, then the more likely it is they've already seen a bunch of earlier entries and they're probably, you know, filling up their calendar and not gonna pick yours if you submit later.

Wilson Hickman 32:02

So the logic is you wanna submit as early as possible. Um, I had submitted early to some other festivals, uh, but this particular one, because of the way the editing deadline fell, I had submitted during their standard deadline, which is not terrible, but it, it kind of lessened my odds a bit. And I was like, "Okay, well, Lord, this is a big film festival. Um, I don't even know if we're gonna get in because they've probably seen a lot of submissions already, so I'll just be grateful if we even get in." Then they fast forward a few months, they announced, um, that it was an official selection. But they were only gonna screen it if it was nominated for an award. So I would still get a l- we would still get a laurel on the, on the film, but it w- might not be shown at the festival. And I said, "Okay, well, if it doesn't, if it doesn't show, that's fine. I'm just happy it got selected." Then later that week, they announced that it was nominated for not one, not two, but three awards. Nominated for Best TV Series, and then our lead actors, Evan and Allison, they got, uh, Best Actor, Best Actress nominations, which they totally deserved. They were fantastic. A

Wilson Hickman 33:05

nd I was like, I, I, I literally was-- It was a, it was a, it was a major, um, moment of, uh, just recognizing that, that God's hand was at work in this, and I just was so grateful for that 'cause I didn't even think we were gonna get in, much less get nominated for three awards. So I'm like, "Well, now I'm going, now I'm going to this festival because we're gonna be screened there, and that's awesome." So, uh, I went to the festival, it was in Florida, and, uh, fast-forward to the last day of the festival, they're announcing the awards in person on the stage, and I didn't think-- I wasn't expecting to win. I was not expecting to win anything. I wasn't even hoping to win. I was just thinking, "It's great that we got nominated. We got screened here. This is awesome." And they announced that it won Best TV Series, and it's only by God's grace that I managed to say anything intelligible when they when they called me up to the stage, um, because I was not ex- I was not, I didn't come with a speech prepared. I, I wasn't expecting to win. Uh, so that's, that was just absolutely fantastic, and that has, i- in hindsight, that has kickstarted a lot of conversations that have led to other conversations that have led to me expanding the Filmmakers Network and, uh, led to me, uh, getting, uh, uh, uh, an expansion in our marketing efforts, which is actually partially how this podcast came about.

Festival Run And Award Win

Wilson Hickman 34:16

So that, that really, uh, kicked off a lot of, a lot of events that I'm very grateful for, and I'm, I'm still feeling the ripple effects of that. Well, congratulations. That's, uh- Thank you that's truly amazing and a great blessing for your film, um, for your TV series. And, uh, so I, I mean, would this naturally lead to a film, I guess, or are you sticking with a TV series? Well, I have considered, and I've, and, um, I have told people that I've, uh, that I'm, uh, considering, um, moving forward into, into production with. We're in several conversations at the moment. But I am open, depending on the feasibility of the production, I'm open to reach, uh, to preceding the series with a, with a feature film. Like, I might retool the first season into a feature film. That's still on the table as a possibility. It's written and conceived as a TV series, but I do think that the first season could be retooled as a, as a feature film if we saw the need. Um, so and just to go back to you said, you know, you're, you're just writing a

Evangelizing without preaching

Sheila Nonato 35:13

great story. You're just telling a great story. Um, there's no, like, kinda agenda to it. You're-- It's coming from the heart. It's coming from a place of, um, truth. And I'm just wondering for, for listeners right now who, you know, perhaps they have a friend who, who not-- doesn't really, you know, go to church or anything like that, how would they explain, you know, the story? "Hey, would you like to check this out?" Like, how would they explain the story to them in a way they would understand?

Wilson Hickman 35:38

Sure. Um, the easiest way to explain the story is to just say it's a, it's a, it's a fun fantasy adventure. Um, it's about a princess searching for a lost relic that can save her people, while most of the people have lost faith in the prophecy.

Sheila Nonato 35:53 Sheila Nonato 35:53

It's got, um, intrigue and suspense with, um, her only ally is a knight from the enemy ranks, and there's, uh, this rising tension of will he ever betray his cruel masters in order to save her. So it's, it's very... it very much appeals to our love of storytelling and our love of fantasy. Um, in terms of how might a person use it to, uh, share the gospel and explain the spiritual truths, you can, you can easily look at the characters and see things like, uh, the way Princess Kiva is struggling throughout the whole first episode. She's trying to show her brother this amulet she's found that, that points to the healer, but because he's under this political manipulation of the High King, it always feels like it's never the right time to show him. He just, he won't understand. This, this, this other thing is demanding his attention. He's being pulled away in this manner, and she keeps restraining it.

Sheila Nonato 36:44

And that actually is written. Now, you wouldn't get this just from watching the episode, but I'm telling you from personal experience, that struggle that Kiva has is actually inspired by the difficulty with sharing the gospel, sharing Jesus with friends and family. Because you, you don't, you don't wanna say the wrong thing and end up driving them away, so maybe it's better to not say anything yet. And that's exactly the struggle Kiva's facing. So knowing that, a believer could go to their friend and, like, share the episode with them, and then afterwards, you know, like, you can, you can say, "Hey, um, have you... Um, you know, Kiva's struggle in the episode is, um, made me, you know, made me appreciate, realize that, you know, sometimes when you have something that's important, it's nonetheless difficult to share it with your friend. And, um, you know, I, I care about you as my friend, and I've always wanted to, uh, you know, sh-share Jesus with you. He's the most important thing in my life." And then you can just give a quick testimonial that way. Or you could simply ask your friend, you know, what they think about Jesus based on that, just like, you know, Kiva could have asked her brother about the amulet, and she was starting to take that approach.

Sheila Nonato 37:48

You know, she was asking him about the healer. "Do you still believe it exists?" Letting him talk, letting him open the door. She starts to reveal it, and then the, the guy comes and pulls her away. But, um, but yeah, it's, it's just meant to give that, that, that launching point, that, that moment of, uh, connectivity that might not otherwise exist. Okay. Um, yeah, thank you for that. And I am also sort of curious about, uh, this, uh, term, um, that you had introduced, um, in the, the media packet that I'd received, God-honoring entertainment. Mm. That seems to be sort of on the rise. It's sort of like, um, I guess a contrast obviously to Hollywood. Um, and, you know, they, they make their own idols out of, I guess, you know, money, power, violence, whatever. Right. Um, so now we ha- the people are searching for an alternative. Do you see that sort of coming up? Is that sort of, uh, what you're also hoping to build upon? Absolutely. I've been really encouraged in the last few years. I think that we're slowly seeing the paradigm be changed. It used to be that Christians were known for substandard storytelling, and Hollywood was the champions of creative excellence. Now I think we're seeing that shift. Hollywood has started to get preachy and on the nose with their anti-biblical agenda, and they're not even bothering to disguise it with good storytelling anymore. They're just directly telling us, "Here, here's what you should believe, here's what you shouldn't believe," all this stuff. And then except for it's anti-biblical, so it, uh, goes against our conscience as being God's image bearers. We recoil from it instinctively because we know it's not true. Whereas Christian storytellers are starting to recognize, "Okay, I'm not, I'm not giving a sermon to my audience. I'm telling a compelling narrative where the characters learn and grow in accordance with God's truth.

Sheila Nonato 39:34

And if that story is told well and the characters are believable and their journey is engaging, then my audience is gonna come away with their mind and their heart more open to God than they otherwise would have been, and perhaps pondering a question or a, an, an, a truth about, an eternal truth about God they wouldn't otherwise have thought of. But not because I lectured them, because I made them feel, because I engaged them in what these characters are feeling and experiencing, and I connected with their human longing for something above themselves." Um, so I, I do see that, that paradigm shifting very much where, where Christians, I think, are starting to give a, a long overdue, uh, ascension in our quality of storytelling, and I'm, I hope that continues. And I think, uh, for parents, Christian parents in particular, um, just I guess we have this kind of battle over the phone, you know? Or over, um, what kids watch, um, on Netflix or whatever. Um, and yeah, I guess it might be comforting for them, uh, for many of them to know that, you know, I can put a, put a show on without watching it beforehand and be comfortable that I'll be, you know, it'll be family-friendly for, for the wh- for the kids. I don't have to explain-

Sheila Nonato 40:45

Anything, um, that might be, again, against, against my principles or whatever.

Wilson Hickman 40:49

Sure.

Sheila Nonato 40:49

Or I don't have to skip over things. Um, but I, I, yeah, as you were saying, I sort of see a shift in that, um, values-based entertainment, um, is... There's still, there's a market out there because, um, the alternative is a little bit dark. It's it's a, a little bit maybe confusing. Um, and parents want to have confidence in, um, in the art that they're showing or the, the shows that they're showing to their kids, and they, they want children to be inspired, not to be fearful, um, of the world.

God Honouring Entertainment And Culture

Sheila Nonato 41:25

Um, and also they want to want them to grow in their faith. Um, how did you sort of balance that? Like, uh, like you were saying that you wanted to present something that would invite non-believers to consider, um, the truth of the eternal truth of God. Um, how would-- how did you sort of balance that, um, you know, that reality of yes, we, you know, there's sort of, um, the commercial appeal, um, aspect of it, but also, like, the biblical principles that you were talking about?

Wilson Hickman 41:56

Yeah. That's, that's a great question, and here's where you actually have the, the reality of God's Word is on your side because the, a non-believer is made in the image of God. He might deny it, but he can't escape it. So, um, the, uh, and I can't take credit for that quote. Um, but basically, uh, but it's something I've heard and it's very well said, that, uh, the unbeliever's still made in the image of God, whether he acknowledges it or not. And so if you tell a story as a Christian, even if you're not consciously mapping out how every theme is gonna connect to the Bible, which I didn't, by the way. You know, it might sound like, oh, I've, I, I mapped out how this character represents this, this character represents that. Half of those things I realized in hindsight Because I'd look back with my Christian lens and said, "Oh, this kind of reminds me of this in the Bible. This kind of reminds me of that."

Wilson Hickman 42:49

And some of it was intentional, and some of it was just it happened spontaneously w- as my worldview inevitably bled into what I wrote. So really first and foremost, my goal, and I think the goal of every Christian storyteller, should be to tell a good story. And of course, there's obvious guardrails like, you know, don't put gratuitous violence, foul language, et cetera, in the film because that doesn't honor God. But in terms of making the narrative compelling while also pointing to God's truth, you are going inevitably to point to God's truth in some way as a Christian storyteller if you are seeking to tell a story that has God's truth and God's beauty baked into it. And that's not something you have to consciously map out. That's something that you can author...

Wilson Hickman 43:35

B- it, it's, it's a difficult process to explain in some ways because when I'm writing a story and the characters have fully come alive, I don't even feel like it's me writing the story anymore. The characters are making decisions on their own. They are wanting things and pursuing things, and I'm just racing to keep up with them, you know, typing away. And I think that's when, uh, the best storytelling happens, is when it feels like the characters have just come alive and they're telling the story on their own. But as a Christian When, when you're doing that, inevitably your values, your core values are going to bleed into the story. Your-- the, the character who's the good guy is going to either learn something or do something that coincides with your values because it's just inevitable. That character, whether you realize it or not, is a tiny little part of who you are, and your identity and your core beliefs are gonna bleed into that writing. And so, um, yes, of course, you, you consciously, you check yourself to make sure that, oh, hey, could this possibly be misinterpreted? That's the editorial process. But when-- overall, I think your goal should just be to tell a compelling story where the characters come alive and where they make believable decisions and they, you know, they face real challenges. And the mere act of facing a challenge and having to overcome it, that speaks to the struggle of good versus evil and how there's objective good, and there's-- that's opposed by objective evil. And that's really critical to any good story, story. The-- if you erode the difference between good and evil, then it's like, what's the point of the story? What are we even rooting for? Because if there's no objectively good thing that's supposed to overcome this objectively evil thing, then it's just a matter of opinions. Well, then I'm just... How, how can I, how can the core of my being root for this one character over the other if it's just a matter of opinion? And that's, again, something that Hollywood has lost because they've largely slid into moral relativism. So, um, basically, as a, as a Christian writer, your worldview is going to influence your story, whether you realize it or not. Focus on telling a good story, and you might be amazed at some of the symbolism that appears in your writing that you weren't even intending.

Sheila Nonato 45:45

And so would you say this is what differentiates you from other filmmakers?

Wilson Hickman 45:52

U m, me personally from, uh, you mean other, other, other Christian filmmakers or non-Christian filmmakers? Uh, just, uh, like from versus a Hollywood, uh, sort of type of filmmaker and now you're sort of not specifically faith-based. I mean, you, you are a Christian, but you're, this film is not overtly Christian. Right. So was that, is that what kind of set you apart from, I guess, from other filmmakers? Yeah, I'd say, I'd say, um, uh, I don't know that, um, all other filmmakers, uh, don't, don't start this way.

Wilson Hickman 46:27

But in, in modern Hollywood especially, I would say that there seems to be the films that I see coming out of modern Hollywood in the TV series, they seem to exhibit a lack of joy, if I can put it that way. It feels like no authentic enjoyment went into making them. They were just, you know, products, uh, rushed off the assembly line to make a quick buck off some, um, nostalgia-based franchise. And that soullessness, that lack of creative expression, that lack of creative joy, it bleeds into the work. It's inevitable. It feels soulless.

Wilson Hickman 47:01

It feels like, you know, nobody cared about making it. And, uh, the opposite of that is also true. When you have an author who is engaged with their characters and the characters feel like real people to them, and the author cares about what happens to the characters 'cause the characters are alive and have taken on this, you know, significance of their own, that also bleeds into the story inevitably, and the readers can feel that, or in, in this case, the viewers of the TV series can s- can feel it. And, um, I definitely think that my passion for storytelling and my passion for, uh, honoring God with storytelling, uh, definitely is, is, um, hopefully is, uh, something that sets me apart from, from, you know, modern filmmakers in Hollywood at least. Okay.

Can Christians Work In Hollywood?

Sheila Nonato 47:46

And, um, I guess again, for listeners who have young children, you know, watching the movies, um, maybe they're not yet going to church, maybe they're going to church here and there once in a while, but their, their child really loves movies. Can, can they pursue a, a career in Hollywood? How, how does it-- how do you remain a Christian in Hollywood? Is that even possible?

Wilson Hickman 48:10

That's a very good question. I personally will not touch Hollywood with a 10-foot pole in terms of working there. Um, but if what you're asking is can they pursue filmmaking as a way of glorifying God? The, absolutely, the answer is yes. Um, the, the, the trick is that, um, you, you recognize that, you know, sadly Hollywood is largely, um, not to say that there aren't Christians in Hollywood, but, um, the films that come out of Hollywood are decidedly anti-Christian. So my advice would be if you wanna be a, a Christian filmmaker or if you wanna be a Christian actor or anybody, you know, related to the, the art of making movies, my suggestion would be don't go Hollywood. Um- Go the, the, the faith based film route, and you don't have to worry that the only thing you can make is, you know, preachy, on the nose type films because as I mentioned, the paradigm is shifting.

Sheila Nonato 49:05 Sheila Nonato 49:05

Uh, good storytelling and quality, um, character development, world building, et cetera, that's becoming more and more commonplace in Christian filmmaking. So if you're worried about artistic integrity, don't think that the secular world has cornered the market on good storytelling. Um, and be, be that exception. Even if you think that is the case, be that exception. Be the, be the Christian filmmaker who, who tells strong stories and, and puts character development and good excellent storytelling first, and you will stand out. And, um, because at the end of the day, believer or unbeliever, we j- when we go to the films and we go to the TV series, we want to be entertained and we want to be gripped by a good story.

Sheila Nonato 49:46

S o if you're a good storyteller, absolutely, um, that's gonna stand out. Um, but as a Christian, yeah, the art of filmmaking is, is something that very much glorifies God, 'cause like I said before, God is the eternal creator. He, in-- according to Romans 8:28, He's working all things for His glory and for the good of those who are called according to His purpose. So if you can be even a tiny reflection of that with the stories you're telling, then absolutely that honors Him as long as you, of course, are careful to, um, not allow your love for storytelling to become an idol. But that goes for any passion. Never put-- Never-- Always keep your work as an offering of worship rather than a replacement for the one you're worshiping Yes, absolutely. And, um, we have the Bible, which is, like, the greatest story ever told. There's so many- Yes so many stories, so much intrigue, war, um, you know, persecution, um, resurrection, transformation, so many stories.

Sheila Nonato 50:42

From the Old... I just started reading the Bible again, so starting from the Old Testament. I'm in the Book of Joshua, so a lot of war and, um, but always underpinning the great love story, that the Bible is the great love story of that God loves His people and wants to draw us closer to Him. And as you were saying, the, the stories, it's not just like, "Hey, here's a Bible passage." And, you know, God gave us the Ten Commandments, but I, I think we didn't understand or the Israelites didn't understand. But He... So He, He wanted us to understand it in a personal way, and He sent His only Son, um, to show us that love. And I think that sort of, you know, how do you, how do you evangelize nowadays? Sometimes it's not through the Bible, because sometimes people are very hostile to the Bible, but it's the way one lives their life or the way one acts towards their neighbor. Um, it's sort of like, yeah, the personal side, the personal face of Jesus to be that t- to each other. And I think that's, yeah, that's, uh, right now for the, for the young people, I guess, um, that's also kind of appealing to them, is that they, like you said, nobody wants to be preached, you know, preached at or, you know, like virtual, virtue signaling and all that. Um, finally, how, what's your hope for the, the, for "The Lost Healer" in reaching, um, especially the youth?

Hopes For Youth

Sheila Nonato 52:08

What is your hope for that, and, and how can they also see this film and support you?

Wilson Hickman 52:14

Thank you. So my, my hope for, um, "The Lost Healer" is that it will inspire viewers and entertain them, of course. I want them to connect with the characters and care what happens. But more than that, I hope that, especially in our worlds of, uh, where m- Hollywood is pushing a lot of moral relativism, I hope that "The Lost Healer" will stir our aw- awareness of the struggle between good and evil, and that's a, that, that is a real thing. That is a struggle in which we, regardless of who we are or where we are, we are called to choose a side in that.

Wilson Hickman 52:47

And I'm hoping that it will also stir our longing for heaven, because here's the thing: a good story, when it's told well from beginning to end, and it's-- and every little character setup has a payoff, the character arc closes completely, and, and there's moments at the end of the film that make us look back and go, "Oh, that little thing that seemed insignificant, now it has a purpose, it has a reason," all of that points to heaven.

Wilson Hickman 53:11

All of that points to seeing God one day face to face and realizing, "Here's how you wove together all the, the tapestry of my life and all these little insignificant details that I didn't even realize meant anything. You've woven it all together for your glory, and now there's, there's people in heaven, you know, be- because you worked through my life and I didn't even realize I was impacting that person." You're gonna see all these threads and details you were never aware of on this side of eternity.

Wilson Hickman 53:35

And a good film gives you a tiny little glimpse at what that'll be like, because a good story, a good script, when it's done right, will bring everything full circle at the end and, and, and show the significance of everything that happened, and you'll feel like you've been taken on a complete journey that was guided by an artist's hand. And so that's why when you leave the theater a lot, when you see a good film, I think a lot of us can relate to the experience, especially as a child, when you leave a movie theater, there's almost a sense of awe, like you're coming back into the real world after having had this transcendent experience. And I think it's because a good film points us to, to Jesus, points us to that day where we'll see Him face to face and realize how He, as the ultimate storyteller, has woven not just our lives, but all of human history together for His glory.

Wilson Hickman 54:19

And, um, a- a- again, it's a, it's a tiny little reflection of that, but as God's image bearers, that's what we're called to do. We're called to image Him in the various gifts and capacities that He's given us Awesome. And can you give us the website please? Where, where- Yes can we watch it, and where can we also help to donate if, uh, if that's what people are, are called to do? Yes. Okay. So the website is thelosthealer.com

Wilson Hickman 54:43

You can watch the episode there and get more about the characters and the story as well. And then I also encourage you to sign up for our newsletter on that website, 'cause we release exclusive behind-the-scene content and, uh, series updates there.

Wilson Hickman 54:54

And then you can also follow our socials. We are on Facebook and Instagram. It's @thelosthealerseries. Okay. And so the first series, the first, uh, part of the series is on YouTube, correct? Correct. Okay. And so the re- And our website and the website. And so after that, when are they gonna be released, the, the following? So the following, the following episodes, and again, we're, we're in talks with production right now as we're talking to potential executive producers for bringing the rest of season one to life. We're not sure if it's gonna take the form of a film or a series yet, and so the release, the release strategy and how that's gonna fall together will again be announced in hopefully the coming months.

Wilson Hickman 55:34

And that's why, uh, it's, it's best to sign up for our email newsletter because that's where you'll get those, those updates and that as they happen type of things. As at the moment, uh, no hard release date.

Sheila Nonato 55:44

Okay. Well, amazing. Well, I thank you so much for your time and your patience. Um, you have the patience of Job. I seriously appreciate you waiting for me to get better. So I, uh, God bless you. May God continue to bless you and your work, and thank you for bringing this, uh, film to life or this TV series to life. Hopefully it'll become a film. And I'm looking forward to the rest of, uh, to watching the rest of the story unfold. So I really appreciate your time and you sharing your talents. Great. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me on. Thank you. God bless. Thank you so

Closing Thoughts And Next Guest, awesome Mom Sydney Bennett @the.annegirl

Sheila Nonato 56:15

much. I appreciate it. Thank you for joining us this week, Sisters in Christ, and for that excellent interview with Wilson Hickman. And as we have learned from his episode, from his conversation, you can go about your day doing daily tasks, keeping in mind that exploration of holiness and the path of holiness, that goal of virtue. And this is also a great way to help our own children and the young people today to hear about goodness and how goodness wins over evil, how virtue versus virtue signaling can make for a better avenue for storytelling and perhaps even more profitable than what we are getting today. Thank you, friends, and let us keep this conversation going on how we can change the culture. And as Christians, we know it is through prayer and through our example Let's hear from Sydney Bennett, who is @theannegirl The Anne Girl on Instagram and YouTube. She's a disability rights advocate, a mother of two, and an influencer for Christ. She shares her lessons from overcoming adversity through faith. Her book is Fearfully and Wonderfully Broken: Fighting for Faith When You're Falling Apart. Have a blessed week, and thank you for joining us again. Happy belated American Independence Day and happy belated Canada Day. God bless.