‘WHERE is God in my life?’ is the key question posed by a modern-day short film adaption of The Sower Parable, being produced in Brisbane.
Shooting got underway at Guardian Angels Church in Wynnum, after young Catholic filmmaker, Dainel Urbina, raised $10,000 by turning to the creative fund-raising platform Kickstarter .
Generous donations came rolling in after an article appeared in The Catholic Leader in August, allowing Mr Urbina to spend on pre-production and crew equipment.
The opening scene of Midnight Sower was shot at night in heritage-listed Guardian Angels with the main film cast joined by parishioners filling the pews as extras.
A professional actor was called in to play a parish priest, reading the parable of the sower (Mark 4 1-20), and then delivering a gospel homily.
“If the audience is knowledgeable about the parable they will understand how each of the characters fits into the story from the beginning,” Mr Urbina said.
“It’s the story of a young girl who makes a mistake – a choice in her life – and her life falls apart,.
“She doesn’t want to listen to the word of God. She’s looking for life in the world, where she’s not really going to find it.
“Even though she is living this life having fun with her friends she’s still looking for more. I think a lot of young people would have that same experience.”
Mr Urbina is working with a small group of friends who met in film school, brought together by a desire to make films that explore life, faith, the world, and our place in it.
“We want to explore the often-fought conflict between faith, and the reality and messiness of life,” he said.
Mr Urbina expressed his hope that the message of “Midnight Sower” would touch “one real person’s heart or help them consider for one second where their life is going”.
With rain and thunderstorms forecast, Mr Urbina said he was putting his own trust in God to complete outdoor shooting, and to move to the editing and post-production stages, with a completion date by the end of this year.
“I’m taking it day by day. There are so many elements in getting this thing together, and the fact that we’ve got to this point – to me it’s crazy.”
