We gained more than a trophy at the Omaha Film Festival.
Despite experiencing a complete white-out blizzard, the turnout for the screening was quite decent. Over 50 students, teachers, filmmakers, parents, grandparents, friends, and family members braved the snow to see “Becoming Fools” in Omaha. We learned that at least another 100 people had planned to attend but were unable to make it due to the weather. Ironically, Omaha had enjoyed 60-degree weather every day leading up to the screening. This was an emotional challenge for us, but we quickly accepted that we have no control over the weather.
I found myself at peace when the Becoming Fools title sequence began to play, despite knowing that the film was not yet entirely finished. There were still grammatical errors in the subtitles, audio in a few scenes needed to be remixed, and none of the beautiful animation our friend Beaux is working on, had been edited into the film. These things just couldn’t be finished in time for the screening. But these things were small in the scope of all the work already completed – and hopefully, most people wouldn’t notice.
After the film ended, I had the opportunity to answer questions from the audience. As a filmmaker, this is a golden opportunity to get feedback and gauge the impact. I was delighted to answer questions about the production and our motivation to produce the film. I even called attention to our son Micah as a visual aide, noting that children as young as him were living in the streets alone. I could sense the weight of this reality sinking in as audience members gasped and shook their heads in disbelief.
At one point, someone asked me if we had staged a specific scene in the film. I tried not to smile too much when I answered the question because it was a legitimate thought. After all, the scene in question could seem “too good to be true.” I responded:
“I know it could appear too good to be true, but in all honesty, that is how it happened. I wish I could have had some control over the film because I certainly would have done many things differently.”
But I didn’t have control, and I still don’t (obviously— I mean, there was a blizzard on our screening day!). The truth is, I will never have control.
The story captured and presented in “Becoming Fools” is an authentic depiction of chaos made beautiful by a God who knows much more, cares much more, and ultimately loves much more than I do. The film showcases incredible grace, but it doesn’t end with everything wrapped in a bow. That simply isn’t reality. These kids are still living on the streets. Some have intentionally gone to jail. Others have been hospitalized due to knife wounds. Their status has changed several times since we began post-production, because that is the nature of life on the streets.
We hope to finish the film this month and start planning a fall screening tour, but we don’t have control over that either. We have dipped deep into our savings to finish the film and don’t have the resources needed for a screening tour. However, we trust that the necessary resources will be provided. We hope that others will choose to join us in “Becoming Fools”.
This journey has been chaotic, yet beautiful in the midst of that chaos. We didn’t set out to tell this story because we knew how it would end; we felt called to authentically amplify the voices of these youth living on the streets, hoping that audiences would want to join the effort to make a difference. We didn’t win any awards at the Omaha Film Festival, but the audience affirmed our hope. Several people shared how the film inspired them to engage with the issue of at-risk youth. To us, that’s worth more than a trophy.