Quick Update:

We will be screening the film in Chicago on Sunday, Feb 7 at 2PM at the United Church of Rogers Park.  Jamie will be attending will will answer questions after the screening.  You’ll make it home with plenty of time before the Super Bowl.  More info is available here.

Special thanks to Tom Harris for making this happen!

We are offering an opportunity for a possible screening in Chicago next weekend (Feb 5 or 6) at a very discounted cost.  If you’re in Chicago, and you are interested in hosting a screening of “The Ordinary Radicals” complete with a Q&A session following the screening with Director Jamie Moffett, send an email to events@theordinaryradicals.com right away!  Thanks!

Just heading back from The Ordinary Radicals screening at Cornerstone in IL.  It was so great to be back with good folks after a year of shooting, post production, screenings and festival.  Crazy how much life can progress in just 12 months, eh?
Anywhoo, Logan Laituri and Brant Russo made it out for the screening which was completely packed.  About 200 people took breaks from the hundreds of shows to see the film (we ran out of seats, picked up more seats and ran out of those too!)
I headed over to a tent that had  two great bands: our good friends Jon Felton and Soulmobile Eternal & The Illogical Spoon.  Jon and crew killed it as always and The Illogical Spoon was magical (full disclosure, I’m a bit biased as The Illogical Spoon has members of Psalters as well as Jesce Walz from The Simple Way, but they are in fact magical).  Musical love by way of beards and banjos

Special thanks to Mike Hertenstein of Flickerings and animator Steve Leeper.  Steve and friends invited me to a great film nerd meeting at the festival, Deep Focus, held after hours in the Speaker Hospitality center.  2+ hours of fantastic conversation.
So yeah, hanging out in a lovely Perkins restaurant in Peoria, IL right now typing up this missive and wondering how you’re doing.  Let us know your experiences with the film and what’s going on in your neck ‘o the woods.
Planes, trains and automobiles, go go go!
~jamie

The blog at ihatechurch.com, which seeks to radically “rebrand” Jesus and Christianity in modern culture, mentioned the film and our Cornerstone Festival screening today:

…This week the Cornerstone Music Festival will host scores of bands, films and incredible people from all walks of life. This festival will become the epicenter for young Christians in America who cling to the beliefs of The Ordinary Radicals Film. The excitement builds as one person tells another how Christ has changed their life and is passed on to others throughout the week. A movement grabs traction and builds throughout the Heartland of America…. Many will never know… but those who are there will have their life changed forever. Are we giving it all or are we holding some back for a rainy day.

Read the rest of the post here, and check out the other postings that raise relevant questions and ideas on how to communicate faith and love in a commercially overwhelmed culture.

Things continue to be exciting here as we continue to take the film on the road and as it’s the official selection at another film festival. The Hoboken International Film Festival has officially selected “The Ordinary Radicals” for its 2009 festival! And the festivals are starting to pile up on our “splash page”, which is a great thing.

But we decided we wanted to try something for all of you who’ve helped to support this project. We are declaring May 29, 2009 “The Ordinary Radicals” House Party Day! I know, you’re wondering what this means… we’re encouraging everyone to throw a screening party in their house, local coffee shop, their friend’s house, etc, and to invite friends, family, neighbors, people you might not even like to come to your party and to watch the film together. We are also offering a special package in case you don’t already have a DVD of the film. If you order a DVD & soundtrack and mention the words “House Party”, we’ll throw in some stickers, and a disc with the trailer for our upcoming film, and the first 50 orders will have their DVD autographed by the director, Jamie Moffett. The only condition for throwing a house party, is that you have to send an email over to events@theordinaryradicals.com an let us know where you are, how many folks you’re inviting, what time the screening is, and if you’d like… why Jamie should attend your party. You see, things are really busy around here with some upcoming projects, and while Jamie really wants to throw a party, he’s busy working on a bunch the next film, and as a result, I told him that I would find a really happening house party and send him to it. So, all you have to do is send an email with that info by May 20, 2009 and you are entered into the contest!* Once we receive your email, we’ll also send you a .pdf for a special poster that you can print and use to promote your party. We think this will be a great event and I can’t wait to pick where Jamie goes!  (And if it’s a really happening party, maybe I’ll even come!)  I’ll also be having Jamie call in to a few house parties to do a sort of Q & A, so even if Jamie doesn’t make it to your party, he might still be able to call or video chat it.  So start sending those party emails!

Also, if you’re interested in a larger screening for May 29 (for an organization, church, local theater, etc), send an email to events@theordinaryradicals.com and we’ll make it happen with a special reduced screening cost for that day.

Have a marvelous May!~

Ryan

*Disclaimer: The winner of the contest will be selected by Ryan, who will pick a winner based on whatever criteria he picks (which could be anything from the funniest idea for a party, to the party that will have the most unusual food item).

Sreeening! Pasadena, CA

Just got back from the Brehm Center in Pasadena, CA for another screening of The Ordinary Radicals.  I met up with Eugene Suen, a film festival director and excellent host!  The 7pm screening went well (I can tell now whether or not if folks are going to be into the film by about the 6 minute mark).  Talk back session was great, with a couple dozen questions that led me to believe they were really wrestling with the topics in the film.  Thanks to much to everyone who was a part of the event last night.  I had a great time and hope to bring the next film to you!

What a magnificent day in Asbury Park, NJ for a screening of The Ordinary Radicals!  Had a great time meeting with the festival coordinators and enjoyed the conversation with audience members.  Thanks so much to the fine folks at the Garden State Film Festival for the opportunity to showcase this important story.  Here are some photos of my time there.

Screening: Garden State Film Festival

Keep an eye on the calendar, we’ll be screening at a venue near you – and if we’re not, contact our events & promotions guru Ryan Paetzold: ryan@theordinaryradicals.com to set one up!  I’d love to come to your town, screen the film and hear your stories.

After flying home from the festival in Jackson, I high-tailed it past the pines to a great community of folks at Forked River Pres to screen The Ordinary Radicals and discuss afterwards.  If it’s any example of how much of a good time we had, the movie started at 7pm but I didn’t leave until after 11pm!  Lots of great discussion, feedback for me and good, hard questions for the congregation to ponder.  Many thanks to them for making an Agnostic feel welcome, and thanks for the food!  That was just about the only meal I’d had time for that day & it hit the spot.

Screening: Crossroads Film Festival

Well, I have to say I just about had the best time ever at the Crossroads Film Festival in Jackson, MS.  I was picked up by my favorite character of the whole event, Jimmy Taylor.  Jimmy, when not driving film directors to and fro, is a full time Mississippi Private Investigator with enough amazing stories to fill a season of Magnum PI…we just need to find him a good Higgins
Anywhoo, I had the pleasure of meeting fellow directors Paige Williams and Micki Dickoff at the opening reception.  Paige’s film, “Mississippi Queen“, follows her coming home to Mississippi, digging past southern hospitality to examine gay values and the ex-gay ministry her parents run.
Micki spent the last 5 years working on Neshoba, a film about race, murder and reconciliation in Philadelphia, Mississippi.  Watch it!

AND, we managed to convince Michael Wong and Brandt Russo to come join us for the film and talk back session.  Good times indeed.  Special thanks to Chris Spear, Marvin Snell, Nina Parikh, Carolina Whitfield-Smith and everyone at the Crossroads Film Festival for their hospitality and for supporting independent film!