Milltown Pride Film
Good News Baptist Church Presents New Bob Jones University Film, Milltown Pride
Chesapeake, VA
Good News Baptist Church invites the community to a special showing of Bob Jones University’s newest feature length film, Milltown Pride, on May 22 at 6:00 PM at 3252 Taylor Road in the Western Branch section of Chesapeake. Milltown Pride is an Unusual Films production.
Milltown Pride tells the story of a young man who dreams of playing professional baseball, but in South Carolina in the 1920s, the only path to the pros was through the local textile mill. Will Wright leaves his privileged life behind for the harsh conditions of the mill. His natural talent on the field makes him a rising star, and it earns him a dangerous rival. How much is he willing to risk for his chance at the big leagues?
Thomas Sneed, a graduate student working toward a Master of Business Administration degree plays the main character of the film, Will Wright. Will, a natural born baseball player, grew up in a wealthy Southern family. Defying the wishes of his father for Will to attend college, he leaves home at 17 to play ball on the other side of the tracks. As part of the Newton Mill Sluggers, Will learns to play hard and live hard. Feeling the consequences of several destructive choices, Will falls from favor on the team, hits rock bottom, and discovers the way back home.
The majority of filming took place in the summer of 2010 at multiple locations around Upstate South Carolina, the Unusual Films sound stage at BJU, North East Georgia and one location in the North East.
The screenplay was written by Dr. David Burke of BJU’s Communication faculty. Burke is also a free-lance playwright and screenwriter with over 50 film scripts, audio dramas and stage plays produced—including libretto for the opera Simeon. In addition, Burke is an accomplished actor performing in numerous Shakespearean roles and appearing as Dmitri in the 1991 Unusual Films release, The Printing. Currently, Burke is working on a film for the Piedmont Women’s Center.
Dr. Darren Lawson, the producer, is dean of the School of Fine Arts and Communication. Dr. Lawson has produced numerous theatrical plays, operas, vespers programs and Living Gallery performances for BJU in addition to being an accomplished actor.
Other significant characters in the film are Pike Spangler, played by Logan Phillip a Business Administration major at BJU, who is the oldest of the Spangler boys and Will’s arch enemy. Ginnie Douglas, Will’s girlfriend played by Rebecca Kaser, a 2008 graduate of BJU, discovers her interest in baseball when “Iron Will” Wright attracts a following in the mill village. Benjamin Ascher, a senior Biblical Counseling major at BJU, plays the part of Chick Spangler, Will’s best friend and teammate. John Douglas is a mill worker played by Chuck Binns, a staff member at BJU. John is a master bat maker who feels most at home when turning a new stick of hickory on his lathe; he becomes a source of advice and guidance for young Will.
Milltown Pride is the seventh feature-length film produced by Unusual Films, BJU’s award winning film production unit, which released its first major production in 1955.
For more information on Milltown Pride you can follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MilltownPride or at http://www.milltownpride.com
