In 2022, while sitting in a counselling session with a young woman who was struggling at the time, pastor Dr Otis Manning was moved by her life story. After seeking her permission, the clergyman decided to adapt excerpts from her experiences into a film, giving birth to Redeemed: A Father’s Love, which will premiere at Carib 5 on August 3.“I remember sitting down with a young woman and doing counselling, and, at the end of the session, I told myself that this was a movie. The movie is a true story where the woman was abducted in real life and so on. I asked her permission, and she told me to go ahead. Now her story is going to be shown at the Carib cinema. I have gotten other visions from other counselling sessions, but this was the one that really captured my heart the most,” Manning said. Redeemed features a strong cast, including prominent Hollywood actor Malik Yoba, Safaree, Jacinth Headlam, Cornelius Grant, Julie Mango and others. Manning, who serves as the film’s executive director and conceptualiser, as well as head of God’s Family Ministry International, described the project as “a blessing”.The faith-based crime drama, which is co-produced by Headlam, tackles themes of family, forgiveness, and redemption.“We started shooting last August, and we are now going to air in August, so it is a blessing. This is my first time doing a big project like this, so I am excited. We got the most experienced Jamaica has to offer in terms of acting locally and overseas. We also got some new talent who are literally amazing in the film. Some of the young ones are most praised by the editing team,” he said. Manning pointed out that this is one of the first gospel, faith-based films in Jamaica, and shared that he is anticipating that the message will be well received by the audience and will be the start of a booming Christian-based film industry. “We want it to have a ripple effect. We want it to be a catalyst, and we want to revitalise the film industry to a different level, making it the first of its kind in terms of Christian, faith-based movies. I want to kickstart that industry in the region,” Manning said. He noted that although the entire production “took a pretty penny”, at the end of the day “it was a team effort”.“We had some persons who partnered with us all the way. Jacinth is an absolute blessing ... she was one of the pioneers who assisted me from scratch,” Manning explained. With the première less than one month away, Manning is anticipating a great turnout.“We expect a big bang, and by God’s grace, we will get it,” he said.entertainment@gleanerjm.com