Courageous movie to hit theaters September 30 2011

ALBANY, Ga – Dec. 6, 2010 – COURAGEOUS – the next movie from Sherwood Pictures, makers of FIREPROOF – debuts nationwide Sept. 30, 2011, with an exciting story of the difference that dedicated fathers can make in the lives of their families. What FIREPROOF – the No. 1 independent film of 2008 – did to encourage couples to bring unconditional love to marriage, COURAGEOUS stands to do for parents and their children. The film will be distributed by TriStar Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Produced by Sherwood Pictures in association with Provident Films and AFFIRM Films, COURAGEOUS follows the lives of five men, four of them deputy sheriffs in Albany, Ga.
A sudden and unexpected tragedy forces each man to consider what kind of father he has been . . . and just what God intends of fathers.

“My hope is that COURAGEOUS will cause men to re-think what success really is,” said Michael Catt, executive producer, and senior pastor of Sherwood Church, the ministry home of Sherwood Pictures. “Success in life is not in things, but in your most intimate relationships. You are successful if you have a strong faith, children who love you, and a wife who adores you.”

Across the country, churches, ministries, support organizations for fathers, and fans of Sherwood Pictures are mobilizing to see and use COURAGEOUS for the important conversation it starts. Sherwood Pictures has a well-deserved reputation for entertainment with a purpose, producing faith-based films that entertain and enlighten, in theatrical and DVD hits such as FLYWHEEL, FACING THE GIANTS, and FIREPROOF.

The Sherwood Pictures executive team is Sherwood Church Senior Pastor Michael Catt, Executive Pastor Jim McBride, and Stephen and Alex Kendrick. COURAGEOUS was co-written by Stephen and Alex, and directed by Alex, who also plays one of the law enforcement officers in the ensemble cast.

Fatherhood Under Fire

COURAGEOUS debuts at a pivotal period.

“We live in a time when 40 percent of children are born in a home with no father around,” Alex Kendrick said. “Our guide for moviemaking is simple: ‘What does the Lord want us to do?’ Every member of our team felt strongly that now is the time for the message that COURAGEOUS brings to life.”

Statistics continue to mount related to the importance of fathers to their children. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sites studies showing:

- good father-child relationships produce children who are more secure and less likely to suffer from depression.
- children with fathers at home enter school at higher levels of academic readiness.
- homes with mothers and fathers present produce children who earn more A grades and are less likely to have to repeat a grade.

Movies That Make a Difference

Well before COURAGEOUS opens, many churches will buy out entire showings and build sermons and curricula on the topic of fatherhood. At pre-theatrical screenings, influencers will receive “resource DVDs” with movie excerpts for lessons and discussion. Local action groups already are volunteering to promote and publicize the film. The film’s ministry partners and many smaller groups will spread the word that COURAGEOUS spurs conversations that can change lives. Books and study guides will support the film and expand its impact.

ABOUT PROVIDENT FILMS

Provident Films, a division of Provident Music Group, produces and distributes faith-based films. Nashville-based Provident Music Group, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, has been one of the world’s leading Christian entertainment companies for more than three decades. Under the umbrella of Sony Music Nashville, Provident Music Group is comprised of Provident Films, Provident Label Group, Essential Music Publishing, and Provident-Integrity Distribution. ProvidentFilms.org

ABOUT AFFIRM FILMS

AFFIRM Films is a division of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA), a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company, dedicated to producing, acquiring, and marketing films that inspire, uplift, and entertain audiences. AFFIRMFilms.com

ABOUT TRISTAR PICTURES

TriStar Pictures is a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company. SPE is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 140 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at SonyPictures.com

To learn more, visit:
COURAGEOUS at CourageousTheMovie.com

Next Sherwood Pictures Movie: Courageous

Sherwood Church, home of the hit independent movies FLYWHEEL (DVD only), FACING THE GIANTS, and FIREPROOF (2008’s top indie film), at its Sunday evening service tonight, announced the theme and title for Sherwood Pictures’ fourth movie. Senior Pastor Michael Catt, Executive Pastor Jim McBride, and ministers Stephen and Alex Kendrick—collectively the leadership team of Sherwood Pictures—made the announcement.

“The movie is about fatherhood and the title is one word: COURAGEOUS,” Alex Kendrick said, briefly outlining the plot. “Four fathers who are all in law enforcement—who protect and serve together—go through a terrible tragedy,” he said. “They begin looking at their role as fathers . . . and they begin challenging one another to fulfill God’s intention for fathers."

That single-word title, Pastor Catt said, echoes God’s call for men to “rise with courage” in their homes and as leaders. This at a time when 4 of 10 marriages end in divorce* and more than a third of all children live away from their biological fathers.

“The statistics on fatherless children are devastating,” McBride said. “And because the family is the building block of society, one important place to rebuild families is through fathers who stay and lead and love."

“God led us,” co-writer and producer Stephen Kendrick said to the audience of church members, many of them volunteer crew, cast, or catering in earlier Sherwood movies. “We believe God is calling men to rise up with strength and with leadership in their homes, with their families and with their children."

"For more then a year we’ve prayed to be sure that we’re pursuing God’s idea and not our own,” Catt said. “With action, drama, and humor, this film will embrace God’s promise in the Bible to, turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers."

Focusing on Fatherhood

“We focus on the crucial role of father; it’s not just to be a father who loves his kids,” said Alex Kendrick, co-writer/director of COURAGEOUS. “It’s to be engaged with a purpose—to be a father on purpose."

All four leaders of Sherwood Pictures are husbands and fathers. Pastor Catt has two children; Pastor McBride has four; Stephen Kendrick has four; and Alex Kendrick has six.
More Than a Movie

Sherwood movies entertain as they touch audiences where they live, and they show the means to live more fully through faith in God. FLYWHEEL focused on compromise and business integrity; FACING THE GIANTS on despair and hope; FIREPROOF on a dying marriage rekindled.

With previous Sherwood movies, fans, churches, and organizations across the country (and world) became “partners” in the movie’s impact—giving prayer support for production, distribution, and the movies’ messages. Ministries and outreaches used the films in creative ways. Churches built series and group studies on the topics; Sunday schools seized the momentum of good entertainment that emphasizes life-changing truths.

“It’s been the Bible’s story of Jesus multiplying the boy’s fish and loaves,” Alex Kendrick said. “God has multiplied these movies beyond our wildest dreams."

Principle filming of COURAGEOUS begins March 2010 in Albany. Like the previous three Sherwood films, COURAGEOUS will be marketed by Provident Films.

Sherwood Pictures is a ministry of Sherwood Church of Albany, Georgia, under the leadership of Senior Pastor Michael Catt and Executive Pastor Jim McBride.

To learn more, visit:

COURAGEOUS www.CourageoustheMovie.com
Sherwood Pictures www.SherwoodPictures.com

Read our interview with Stephen Kendrick.

What's Next for Sherwood Pictures?

This just in from Sherwood Pictures:

The leaders of Sherwood Productions have been "preparing their fields" for another motion picture. They believe God has directed them to a new story line for the next Sherwood movie.

What is it?

We have an answer for you ... almost. What we can tell you is that the question will be answered next month!

The leaders of Sherwood Pictures—Michael Catt, Jim McBride, Alex Kendrick, and Stephen Kendrick—have been praying about the story for the next movie. Their prayer hasn't been for a good movie; it's been for a God movie. As was the case first with Flywheel, then with Facing The Giants, and most recently with FIREPROOF, they believe God has answered their prayers.

Can't bear to wait? Each week between now and mid-November, we will be releasing a video that searches the Sherwood archives for hints about what the next movie might be. Find out more at The Next Sherwood Movie website.

Read our interview with Stephen Kendrick.

New Sherwood 3 DVD Boxed Set Coming Sept 8

FACING THE GIANTS, the $100,000 church-made film that scored a $10 million box office touchdown for Provident Films and Sherwood Pictures, debuts on Blu-ray™ High-Def this Sept. 8, 2009. The action-packed drama is about a Christian high school football coach who reengages his faith to battle the giants of fear and failure. The DVD bonus includes behind-the-scenes features and deleted scenes.

More news: a DVD box set also releases Sept. 8, containing FIREPROOF, FACING THE GIANTS, and Sherwood’s very first hit, FLYWHEEL.

FACING THE GIANTS Synopsis
After six consecutive losing seasons, high school football coach Grant Taylor (Alex Kendrick) believes things can't get any worse. Unfortunately, he's wrong. With fear and failure seemingly defeating him at every turn, the downtrodden coach and husband turns to God in broken desperation. Trusting that God can somehow do the impossible, Coach Taylor and his Shiloh Christian Eagles soon discover how faith plays out on the field ... and off.

FACING THE GIANTS Bonus Features
• Filmmaker Commentary
• 13 Deleted Scenes
• Fumbles, Funnies, and Other Fun Stuff
• “Behind the Scenes of Facing the Giants”
• Interview with Mark Richt: University of Georgia Bulldogs Football Coach
• “With You” Musical Tribute to the Volunteers

FIREPROOF Synopsis
FIREPROOF, created by a 1,200-person cast and crew—almost all volunteer—ultimately grossed more than $33 million in theaters, making it the top independent film of 2008. Kirk Cameron (TV’s Growing Pains) is Caleb Holt. At work, inside burning buildings, Capt. Holt lives by the old firefighter’s adage: never leave your partner behind. At home, in the cooling embers of his marriage, he lives by his own rules. Holt’s job is to rescue others. Now he’s ready to face his toughest job ever … rescuing his wife’s heart.


FIREPROOF Bonus Features
• Filmmakers’ Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Alex Kendrick and
Co-Writer/Producer Stephen Kendrick
• Deleted Scenes
• Firegoofs/Jokes and Pranks
• Fireproof Resources
• “Fireproof: Behind the Scenes”
• “Marriage Matters”
• Wayne on Wayne Interview
• Fireproof in 60 Seconds
• Love Dare Promo

FLYWHEEL Synopsis
FLYWHEEL was a film-festival favorite, earning Best Feature Film at the 2004 Christian WYSIWYG Film Festival, the Bronze Crown at the 2004 ICVM Crown Awards, and Best Screenplay at the 2004 Sabaoth International Film Festival. In the story, many an unsuspecting victim has fallen prey to the smiling face and hasty promises of used car salesman Jay Austin (Alex Kendrick). Austin does everything his way until his dishonesty and manipulation are exposed. Like many men, he grows disgusted by the masks he wears and the lies he tells. While having a classic convertible repaired, Austin begins a humorous and inspiring journey to win back the hearts of his wife, his son, and his community. In every man’s life, there can be a turning point. When Jay Austin makes his turn, he never looks back.

FLYWHEEL Bonus Features
• Flywheel Introduction by Alex Kendrick
• “The Making of Flywheel”
• Outtakes, Deleted Scenes, Bloopers
• Special Message
• Butch Bowers and Jay Austin TV Spots
• Commentary with Alex and Steven Kendrick

The Blu-ray Disc version of FACING THE GIANTS is BD-Live™ enabled, allowing users to get connected and go beyond the disc via an Internet-connected Blu-ray player. Download exclusive content, register for rewards, give feedback through our survey and more!

Get rewards for registering your Sony Blu-ray discs! The Sony Pictures Blu-ray Club rewards consumers in the U.S. for purchasing and registering BD-Live enabled Sony Blu-ray movies. Members may redeem accumulated points for cool Sony products, plus enter to win cash and prizes in daily sweepstakes and more. For details visit www.SonyRewards.com/bluray

FACING THE GIANTS runs approximately 112 minutes and is rated PG. FIREPROOF runs approximately 122 minutes and is rated PG. FLYWHEEL runs approximately 120 minutes and is unrated. Artwork and digital clips are available at www.Sphepublicity.com.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. SPE is a division of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in more than 100 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com. For more info on Blu-ray Disc™, visit hollywoodinhidef.com.

ABOUT PROVIDENT FILMS
Provident Films, a division of Provident Music Group, produces and distributes heartfelt, faith-based films. Nashville-based Provident Music Group, which is a division of Sony Music Entertainment, has been one of the world’s leading Christian entertainment companies for more than three decades. Operating under the umbrella of Sony Music Nashville, Provident Music Group is comprised of Provident Films, Provident Label Group, Essential Music Publishing, and Provident-Integrity Distribution.

Read our 1st interview with Stephen Kendrick
Read our 2nd interview with Stephen Kendrick
Read our review of Fireproof movie
Read our review of the Fireproof DVD
Read our review of the Fireproof novel

Fireproof movie Opens at #4 nationwide

Samuel Goldwyn Films' FIREPROOF, starring Kirk Cameron, far surpassed industry expectations to place #4 at the box office for the weekend. Produced by Sherwood Pictures in Albany GA, FIREPROOF is the company's third film following FACING THE GIANTS – also released by Goldwyn, which went on to gross more than $10 million.

With an all-volunteer, 1,200-person cast and crew, FIREPROOF opened on 839 screens, grossing $6,804,764 with a per-screen average of $8,111. It was the highest opening weekend box office* of the year for films released on 1,000 screens or fewer.

Directed by Sherwood's Alex Kendrick and co-written with his brother, producer Stephen Kendrick, FIREPROOF stars Cameron and newcomer Erin Bethea in a story about a firefighter who must learn how to rescue his own marriage.

On both FACING THE GIANTS and FIREPROOF, Goldwyn, Provident Films, and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's Affirm Films unit united to devise and execute a marketing strategy blending traditional theatrical marketing and an aggressive grassroots and faith-based outreach. Provident held screenings across the country, providing resources and materials for pastors and churches to spread the word about the film. Through its vast network and databases, Provident created opportunities for leaders to bring the film to their respective areas and generate excitement in their communities.

Communities across the U.S. are using the film as a tool to support local firefighters, police, and other first responders' groups with divorce rates up to 90 percent. As first responders and their spouses spend a night at the movies, volunteer babysitting brigades on are the job, freeing up couples to go. Parents buy tickets for their married children. Churches buy for members and use the movie to kick off marriage courses.

High advance sales accounted for 40 percent of all Fandango.com sales as of Friday morning. In the week before its opening, FIREPROOF pre-sold more than $1 million in tickets – far above the predicted blockbusters.

Meyer Gottlieb, president of Samuel Goldwyn Films, said: "Congratulations to Alex and Stephen Kendrick for showing once again that they know how to make a movie both entertaining and substantive. FIREPROOF will make you laugh, cry, and reflect. I'm confident audiences will continue to support it."

"The success of FIREPROOF is an example of the combination of great writing and storytelling, proper setup and marketing execution, all directed at an underserved audience hungry for filmed entertainment that meets their needs in many ways," said Terry A. Hemmings, president & CEO, Provident Music Group.

"Opening weekend turnout is a testament to grassroots marketing," said Provident Executive Vice President Ben Howard. "We spent nine months getting this movie and its message to the right people . . . now it's charging away on its own momentum."

Michael Catt, senior pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church and executive producer, said: "We believe good stories can have a good effect. This film was made by a small army of people who poured into something bigger than themselves – into noot just a movie, but a movement to restore and uplift marriages across the country."

Bob Rubin, executive vice president, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, which oversees the Affirm Films label, one of the film's acquisition partners, said: "The faith market is a vast and underserved community with a growing appetite for filmed content that is both inspirational and entertaining. We are delighted to be part of the team that brought FIREPROOF to audiences nationwide."

A book entitled The Love Dare (www.bhpublishinggroup.com/lovedare) was only a plot device in the film until audiences repeatedly requested copies for themselves. The book also debuted in stores this weekend, having pre-sold 600,000 copies. Written by the Kendrick brothers, The Love Dare finished the weekend at #12 on Amazon.com and currently is in its seventh printing.

In coming weeks, Goldwyn plans to expand film's release to more than 1,000 screens.

SHERWOOD PICTURES
This is the third movie by Sherwood Pictures, its second theatrical release. FLYWHEEL, produced in 2004, has sold 200,000 DVDs. FACING THE GIANTS in 2006, earned $10.1 million at the box office and has sold more than 1.6 million DVDs (in 58 countries and 14 languages).

PROVIDENT FILMS
Provident Films is a division of Provident Music Group, designed to produce and distribute faith-based films. Sony BMG Music Entertainment's Provident Music Group is one of the world's leading Christian music companies. Provident Music Group operates under the umbrella for Sony BMG Nashville.

SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS
Samuel Goldwyn Films is a major, independently owned and operated motion-picture company that develops produces and distributes innovative feature films and documentaries. The company is dedicated to working with world renowned and emerging writers and filmmakers and, committed to filmed entertainment that offers original voices in uniquely told stories. This steadfastness is best exemplified by the Oscar-nominated THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, SUPER SIZE ME, AMAZING GRACE and Julie Delpy's hit comedy 2 DAYS IN PARIS. Goldwyn's 2008 slate also includes PRICELESS, a romantic comedy starring Audrey Tautou, Oscar-winner Claude Lelouch's ROMAN DE GARE, FUGITIVE PIECES based on the international bestseller by Anne Michaels, TRUMBO, the acclaimed documentary about Oscar-winner Dalton Trumbo and the critically hailed ELEGY, starring Oscar nominee Penélope Cruz and Oscar winner Ben Kingsley.

###

* except Hannah Montana in 3D

Read our interview with Stephen Kendrick here.
New! Read our interview with Kirk Cameron.
Read our review of Fireproof the movie.
Read our review of Fireproof the novel.

Fireproof trailer released!

Read our interview with Stephen Kendrick here.
New! Read our interview with Kirk Cameron.
Read our review of Fireproof the movie.
Read our review of Fireproof the novel.

Watch Fireproof videos!

Also be sure to read our exclusive interview with Stephen Kendrick about the movie here!



New! Read our interview with Kirk Cameron.
Read our review of Fireproof the movie.
Read our review of Fireproof the novel.