The Movie That Changes Everything...

New Film from the Producers of I AM

2012-02-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

From the writer/director and producing team that brought you the feature film, I AM, comes a new family drama, HEART OF THE COUNTRY, which is currently in pre-production and is scheduled to shoot in North Carolina in March and April of this year.

Heart of the Country is a modern day retelling of the famous “Prodigal Son” story told through the eyes of Faith – a prodigal daughter.

With her husband jailed for Wall Street-based fraud, Faith has to leave behind her luxury life in New York to return home to North Carolina and the widower father and dutiful older sister she left behind.
Together, they have to deal with the buried emotions of sudden death of Faith’s mother years ago, and learn to be a family again.

Like the Prodigal story, Heart of the Country is a tale of a father’s unconditional love. He simply wants a relationship with his children, and once that relationship is restored, he begins to create healing for his broken daughter. Her marriage has to be rebuilt, her belief in herself, and her peace with her mother’s death all come together through the quiet, selfless guidance of her loving father.

In addition to the upcoming movie, the book of the same name has been released, and was written by renowned novelist Rene Gutteridge, based on the original screenplay by filmmaker John Ward.

The producers of Heart of the Country, are offering a chance to be a “STAR FOR A DAY” on location in North Carolina. For a limited time, purchase the ebook version of the Heart of the Country novel, and you will receive an exclusive code giving you access to enter online for a chance to win a trip for you and a guest to the set of the movie, and even work in a SCENE ON CAMERA!!

Find out more on the movie and the contest at heartofthecountrymovie.com.

I Am producer, Todd Zeile speaks with the New Jersey Record

2010-11-17T14:12:00.000-08:00

Todd Zeile enjoying new career as movie producer, actor

Wednesday, November 17, 2010
By Tara Sullivan

NEW YORK – Like anyone who has watched a movie awards show, Todd Zeile has listened as recipients talk about the years of blood, sweat and toil it took to get their project finished. Like most observers, he would shake his head in disbelief. As a longtime veteran of the instant-gratification world of professional baseball, Zeile couldn’t imagine those stories being true.
And then he started making movies.
“Now, I understand what they meant,” Zeile said.
The first movie Zeile produced, “Dirty Deeds,” was completed during his playing days, which ended in 2004 when he retired following a second stint with the Mets. His second project, titled, “I AM,” had a limited release Oct. 10 (10/10/10) and became available on DVD on Nov. 4, the climax of a more than two-year process that began with a small video project for a local church.
The film (get info at www.iamthemovie.com) is described as a modern-day telling of the Ten Commandments in the style of the Oscar-winning “Crash,” in which 10 different stories set in Los Angeles intersect with each other through the prism of the commandments. Though it falls under the banner of faith-based entertainment, Zeile, mindful of the negative connotation or divisive potential associated with the category, is more hopeful the movie will open discussion for people who watch it.
“It’s not a two-hour sermon. We don’t try to answer all the questions, we leave that up to the audience,” he said. “If people are looking to have a conversation about God, this is a good way to start. The project creates a distinction between faith and church and that was important to me.”
Zeile, 45, was in New York recently to attend Joe Torre’s charity event. As he sat outside a midtown Starbucks talking about his many post-baseball ventures, he reflected on how the seeds were planted during a baseball career that brought him to 11 teams across 16 seasons.
“Even when I was playing, my mind was always onto something creative. My world was never about baseball 24/7,” he said. “And when I retired, the last thing I could imagine doing was going home to play golf all day.”
Zeile was reunited with many former teammates, including Al Leiter, John Franco and Derek Jeter, on Thursday at Chelsea Piers, where Torre’s event to benefit his Safe at Home Foundation was also billed as a 10th anniversary celebration of the 2000 Subway Series.
Zeile made two stops with the Mets, including on the 2000 World Series runners-up, as well as one with the Yankees. Unlike so many professional athletes, however, Zeile has had little trouble moving on, likely because he is busier than ever.
In addition to owning the production company, Green Diamond Entertainment, Zeile is the co-owner of a successful private corporate jet company, established a film institute for students in inner-city Los Angeles, works with a website (www.bluenoselive.com) that provides free middle school lesson plans that combine film, sports and music, and does occasional television work as a commentator. He also wears many hats in the production company, writing, developing and acting in both films.
While he can laugh at a joke that the only career left to him is perhaps as a hand model, Zeile and his wife, Olympic medal winning gymnast Julianne McNamara, are also busy keeping up with their four children. Though Zeile couldn’t persuade McNamara to make a cameo in the film, son Garrett, 16, plays opposite his dad in one of the parables that follows an aging rock star’s inability to handle the rising stardom of his rock star son. Garrett’s own song with his RCA-signed band Jetstream is in the movie as well.
Zeile’s other children, Hannah, 13, Ian, 8, and Aaron, 6, appear in the movie, too. “That’s been an awesome part of this, really, to have my family so involved,” said Zeile, who is also very active in raising money for research for juvenile diabetes, which Hannah has. “After so many years on the road, that’s been great.”
With another project complete, Zeile isn’t slowing down. He and John Ward, who co-produced “I AM,” are working on their next movie, a Nicholas Sparks-type drama called, “Heart of the Country.”
“We’re trying to get this audience to believe in us and track with us on the next project,” he said. “I’m ready to jump in.”
E-mail: sullivan@northjersey.com

Read entire story HERE

Behind "I Am" with John Ward and Todd Zeile

2010-11-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

From ChristianCinema.com

November 4, 2010

What do a professional baseball player and screenwriter have in common? In the case of Todd Zeile and John Ward, it's their work on a series called Liquid, created in conjunction with Mariners Church in Newport Beach, California. After working together on ten DVDs, Todd and John decided they were ready to take the skills they learned making short-form videos and apply them to a feature film called I Am.

Read entire article HERE

I Am producer, Todd Zeile live on Dennis Miller

2010-11-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

Retired major-league baseball player and producer of the faith-film, I Am appeared on Dennis Miller's Show on October 28, 2010. Visit the Dennis Miller site and take a listen to the broadcast segment HERE.

Mariners Church Movie 'I AM' Premiers

2010-10-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

From Janine Swiatowski for The Orange County Register:

20th Century Fox's feature film "I AM", created by parishioners of Mariners Church, Irvine, premiered Monday, Oct. 11, at the Lido Theatre Newport Beach to an audience of 520 people. The biblically-inspired feature, in production for 18 months, documents the journeys of 10 people as they struggle with the effects of failing to follow the 10 commandments.

Read entire article HERE.

...Religious Theme Helps Make Mark in Hollywood

2010-10-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

Chris Allen, from ABC affiliate WWAY-TV reports:

If you don't know the name John Ward, you might soon. He's trying to make his mark on Hollywood with a new movie with a religious theme.

Read entire article HERE.

Wilmington Native Directs Faith-based Film

2010-10-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

From NBC affiliate WECT-TV:

A film about the Ten Commandments was shown in churches across the country Sunday as part of a 10/10/10 event. Director and Wilmington native, John Ward, decided to release his film entitle "I Am" exclusively to churches across the nation because he realized he wouldn't be able to reach all communities if it were released in theaters.

Read entire article HERE.

Movie with a Message

2010-10-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

Joe Williams, film critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes...

"Some hometown heroes are screening an ambitious movie this Sunday afternoon at the new Granite City cinemas. The inspirational drama "I Am" stars Granite City native Amy Holland Pennell, a former captain of the Rams cheerleaders, and was co-produced by former Cardinal Todd Zeile."

Read the entire article HERE.

10 Strangers, 10 Commandments

2010-10-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Sarah Peters, of the Daily Pilot in Irvine, CA had this to say...

In Orange County's population of 3 million, it's easy to feel isolated.

But film producers and Mariners Church members John Ward and Jeff Pries believe that this isolation is a mirage — that the actions of every person create a domino effect that touches others.

To help teach people that your every action matters, the duo are part of a team that produced a 20th Century Fox feature film, "I AM."

Read the entire article HERE.

Producer Todd Zeile Talks Career & I Am with NY Times

2010-09-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

Zeile’s Last Swing One to Remember

By TYLER KEPNER

Published: September 25, 2010

Todd Zeile was born in Van Nuys, Calif., in 1965, on the day that Sandy Koufax pitched his perfect game in Los Angeles. So perhaps Zeile was destined to earn his share of trivial distinctions over 16 seasons in the major leagues...

Read the entire article HERE.

Lee Strobel and Filmmakers Talk About I AM

2010-09-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, September 23, Lee Strobel and I Am producers, Todd Zeile and John Ward, participated in an open conference call with screening hosts of I Am. For those of you who missed the call, we have posted an mp3 below and on our website. Please enjoy and feel free to share.

Note that player above requires the latest version of Adobe's Flash Player. You can get the latest version here, or if you prefer, you can download the mp3 directly here.

I Am Filmmakers Interviewed on TBN

2010-09-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

I AM's writer/director John Ward (who plays Aaron Rossdale) and producer/actor Todd Zeile (who plays Trevor Evans) sit down with Paul Crouch Jr, host of TBN's acclaimed "First to Know" series and discuss the upcoming release of I AM.

The Dove Foundation Gives I AM Highest Rating

2010-08-26T00:11:00.000-07:00

The Dove Foundation has reviewed the faith movie, I AM, and has given their highest mark of five out of five doves. The have determined it also to be family-friendly and recommended for ages above twelve years of age.

The Dove Foundation review states:

Violations of each of the Ten Commandments are portrayed in this thoughtful drama that begs each of us to examine our own lives and the potential sins we commit each and every day. This is a stirring, visual film that takes a firm stand against sinning. Dove is pleased to award our "Family-Approved" seal to this faith filled film.

For more on the review and rating breakdown, visit Dove.org here.

What makes a film Christian?

2010-08-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

By John Ward, Writer/Director of the movie, "I AM"

Conventional wisdom claims a Christian film is a movie defined by its content – a clean, wholesome movie about good, nice people accomplishing the right thing for the right reasons. The same thing goes for television and novels for that matter.

Take for example Little House on the Prairie. For nearly two decades it was the number one show in Saudi Arabia. Yet, Christianity is illegal in that country. Therefore, how can it be Christian? It’s not necessarily. It’s clean.

In addition, the most successful R-rated movie in history was The Passion of the Christ. Many consider it to be the most gory and violent film ever made, yet how could one claim it was NOT a Christian film?

If content does not determine what is, and is not, a Christian film – what does?

I believe the Christianity of a film (better defined as the appeal to the faith-based audience), is determined by two critical elements:

1 . The relationship between the film and the bible.

The Passion of the Christ was groundbreaking because it pointed audiences to specific passages in the bible. A person could experience the film, and then go home and re-read the passages outlining the crucifixion with a new and more powerful understanding of exactly how intense the sacrifice of Christ really was. It aided their faith through a deeper understanding of scriptures they may have already known.

When I began making the Liquid films, I experimented with a similar philosophy. Each film was designed for bible studies, so the films had to parallel specific verses. While the setting was modern day, the plot points were exactly the same as the passages the groups were studying. For example, when we did a study on the parables – one was the Good Samaritan. In our film, the man on the road was a downed US Navy fighter pilot in Afghanistan, and the Samaritan was a local Muslim woman in a burka.

It was clearly a different setting, but showed a direct parallel to the passage nonetheless.

2 . Cultural relevance -- the relevance of the film to the challenges of having faith in
our modern world.

Cultural relevance is a huge concern for people of faith. The stories of the bible are compelling, profound, and consequential; but often it’s hard to get past the antiquity of the setting. After all, most of the bible is written about nomads and farmers. Almost nothing of the world of the bible remains today -- only the existence of God and the humanity of the characters.

So in the end, I believe a Christian film is a movie that points us to God’s word, excites us about Him, makes us curious, and helps us better relate to His message for our lives. Just like the Bible itself, sometimes the story is tragic, sometimes puzzling, sometimes warm and fuzzy, and even occasionally terrifying. Yet, as long as the film
is rooted in specific passages from His word – it’s hard to see how we won’t be blessed.

1000 Free Church Screenings Offered of New Christian Movie, I AM, before release by 20th Century Fox

2010-08-10T15:42:00.000-07:00

Filmmakers John Ward and Todd Zeile have announced they are donating 1,000 free movie church screenings of their new Christian film, I AM. The decision to offer free church site licensing comes on the heels of securing a distribution deal with studio giant 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The innovative direct-to-church release schedule offers churches across the country to become a busy movie theater for 1 to 4 nights in October.

“Everywhere we go, we hear how churches are struggling. Too many seats are empty. People are hurting, and they are inundated by a cynical world telling them to run from the God who’s so angry he only wants you to feel guilty – if he even exists at all,” said John Ward, the film’s writer and director who also appears as one of the primary characters. “Nearly all churches have a screen of some sort, and churches themselves are essentially theaters – they hold a service every week. Why should we ask pastors to drive people from their churches, into movie theaters, when we can equip them with the same movie that they can use, to invite people inside their churches? Through offering free screenings we are giving a gift to help churches fill the empty seats.”

I AM will release exclusively in churches nationwide in October, 2010. The feature film has been often described as a “Christian Crash” both by Hollywood Executives and Christian Pastors. I AM is a modern parable in which ten strangers in Los Angeles see their lives intersect and collapse through a plot which follows the Ten Commandments, one by one. As the characters struggle with their various personal demons, each is sustained by their private conversations with the same mysterious stranger: a man they ultimately come to know as I AM.

I AM is not a film that pretends to show the perfect model for a perfect life. It is a tale of suffering and brokenness – a story of this spiderweb of a world in which we all live, and the struggle to break free of its sticky entanglements. Only at the movie’s conclusion do we see that this mysterious I AM -- who is there regardless of how terrible the decisions of a character may be -- is the quiet, steady source of redemption and peace for those who listen… and left brokenhearted for those who turn away.

“Everyone has a friend, co-worker, or family member with whom they have a serious religious disagreement. I AM gives those people a safe way to engage in that dialogue, and churches an historic opportunity to host it,” said co-filmmaker Todd Zeile. Todd Ziele who helped co-produce and acts in the faith-based feature film was drawn to the movie due to the movie’s story which is inspirational, but not preachy. Although producing films has been a primary focus for Zeile since the conclusion of his 16-year Major League Baseball career, this is his first feature faith-based film.

Ward and Zeile have put their money where their mouth is. Not only did they finance the film, but they are financing the giveaway. “It’s about doing the right thing,” Ward said. When asked about their fears that giving the movie away will hurt their ability to get their money back, Ward replied, “We believe strongly that if we reach out to help the church now, others will reach back and buy I AM later. In these difficult economic times, churches need help. Having the first look at a big movie helps them draw a crowd, so the least we could do is give that to them.”

The offer of free church screenings of I AM is available to the first 1,000 churches in the United States through http://www.IAmTheMovie.com. More information can also be found at http://www.Facebook.com/IAmMovie. Plans for International direct-to-church site licensing are in the works, it is recommend those interested connect with I AM through their page on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/IAmMovie.