Adventist Movie Series Based on ‘The Great Controversy’ Wins Film Award
by Adventist News Network
Monday night (August 19) the trailer for a drama series to be distributed on the Web sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church made headlines at the first Geekie Awards in Hollywood. The Record Keeper, which dramatizes the epic struggle between good and evil, won the award for "Best Trailer" in a category which recognizes movies still in the final stages of post-production.
The Geekie Awards are a new thing in cinema recognizing the best independent productions with "geek-genre content, art, products and experiences." The organizers said the goal of the event "is to create an impact on mainstream media, putting the true geek culture in the spotlight as a collection of valid award-winning genres for storytelling and creation." An Adventist production group was among the first award winners at this new show.
Director Jason Satterlund and executive producer Garrett Caldwell accepted the award, accompanied by cast members Aris Juson and Jelynn Sophia. The award show was live-streamed from the Avalon, a historic landmark in Hollywood. “I feel so honored to be here,” Satterlund said. “We are excited to receive this response on a series that isn’t even out yet.”
“We can’t wait to show you the rest of the series,” Caldwell said, acknowledging the role of co-creator Rajeev Sigamoney and the two other executive producers, Ben Schoun and Delbert Baker, both vice presidents of the denomination's General Conference (GC). Web release of The Record Keeper series is expected to begin in October, producers said. Caldwell is an associate director in the GC communication department, an ordained minister who served as a pastor in Portland, Oregon, and the Washington DC area before joining the GC staff.
The Record Keeper follows the story of Cadan (JuneSoo Ham) and Larus (Dennis Hill), two angels who struggle to maintain their friendship after civil war breaks out in the universe. Another angel, Raina (Lindsay Frame), pursues an accurate record of events while trying to make sense of the chaos. The award-winning trailer shows Raina reacting as rebellion spreads to Earth.
The series echoes major themes from The Great Controversy, a book written in the last 19th century by Ellen G. White that chronicles God’s guidance throughout history. The films use the "Steampunk" genre, an approach to story-telling that mixes 19th century costumes, design and manners with science fiction. It features steam-powered machinery in an alternate world or fantasy setting.
The Record Keeper will resonate with people who may not otherwise come into contact with White's book or even the Bible, Caldwell pointed out. “The inspired insights that Ellen White provides in The Great Controversy make the compelling narratives of scripture even more relevant,” Caldwell said. “Many people are expressing interest in [White] as an individual and in her writings as a result of The Record Keeper project. We simply must consider continuing to tell these stories in this manner."
The Geekie Awards is the first award show recognizing the best independently-produced comic books, graphic novels, short films, Web series and more. The winning short promotional piece for The Record Keeper can be seen online:
https://www.thegeekieawards.com/the-record-keeper-2/
