Story of a screening

The night of screening Korea Dreambus: A Journey of Faith, the Buffalo Bills were playing the Denver Broncos in hopes of going to the Super Bowl, and we were being hit with dangerous whiteout snow conditions.  I was hoping we might get 25-30 people in; we were set up for forty.

Madonna in Korean Hanbok (traditional dress)

I arrived early to help my friend from St. Bernard's (with his daughter, who helped us get ready) set up coffee service and some cookies from Leo's Bakery. I hung some posters on the doors, and then I spent some time with Jesus in the chapel. I prayed that "whoever needs to see this film will come," and I left it at that. 

When the first attendees arrived, I met them at the door and welcomed them in. I could see people coming up the walkway, and my nervousness melted into gratitude. And then they kept coming...and coming and coming. I greeted everyone with a growing feeling of humility that this many people would come to see my little movie. People came from many areas of my life -- long time friends, newer friends, fellow creatives, people I'd worked with, former students of mine, and even several people I didn't know. 

Meanwhile, my friend from St. Bernard's and several guys were setting out more chairs because we were way past the 40-people set up. Eventually, the partition wall at the back of the room had to be drawn back to accommodate everyone. We'd run out of cookies long ago. 

Opening the wall!

Over 80 people came to the screening of Korea Dreambus. I'm still blown away by this fact, and it's been over a couple of weeks, now. The film ran without a hitch, and we had a healthy Q&A afterwards. People were genuinely interested in the Korean martrys, Korea in general, and several people expressed to me personally afterwards that they had no idea about the Church in Korea or the glorious Korean martyrs.

My friends from the Buffalo and Rochester Korean Catholic Community were also present, and their response was probably the most meaningful to me. One of them said that she hadn't been aware of all the places I'd visited in the pilgrimage, and she appreciated knowing more about them. Another woman told me she cried in a couple of spots. Their love and support means the world to me.

In the Q&A, one person asked if I'd be going back to the other pilgrimage places that I couldn't visit, and would I be making another film about that experience. Someone else suggested that I make a pitch to network TV to do a series of pilgrimages. This kind of feedback was completely unexpected and wholly appreciated. I haven't discounted anything for the future!

The evening was magical and miraculous, with so many wonderful people who I believe were touched by the film in different ways. Some of them shared with me privately how the film impacted them - thinking about their own journeys with God, musing on the nature of God's work in humanity, and appreciating the truly universal character of the Church. It's safe to say that the film was a success, even if it may not have been perfect (and had only been finalized three nights prior to screening!). 

My disclaimer at the beginning of the night let people know that the film still needed color correction and sound mix, so for certain, those processes will be done in the coming months. I am hoping to find distribution for this film; I have a couple of small leads so far.

In the meantime, I have a move to Korea coming up in less than a week to teach English in Ulsan (the city I call home in Korea), and I have a book proposal to write for Ignatius Press on saints from Asia. I know that God is doing something with me, that's for sure. 

The Korea Dreambus is just getting started, it would seem.