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On May 30th, 1964, Jim Walters exchanged vows with Lynda Springfield at the United Methodist Church in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. The happy couple settled into a life where Jim, the sharp young seminary graduate, became a favorite professor at a small, private college, and Lynda took care of their two boys, worked in the library, and served as Jim's secretary, typing his dissertation on a borrowed typewriter.
Thirteen years into the marriage, double vision started. Followed by stumbling. Occasionally her feet would not respond when she wanted to walk. Finally, in early 1977, Jim took Lynda to a hospital for testing. Lynda was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
The disease progressively destroyed Lynda's nervous system. Slowly it took away control of every function of her body. Walking, holding her children, eventually even the ability to speak were all taken away. In January 2012, after 35 years of fighting M.S., Lynda passed away.
Ironically the methodical, unceasing attack of M.S. revealed not only the strength of Jim and Lynda's commitment in better or worse, but a true love greater than the loves in the fairy tales and story books. Their joy in each other through unceasing trial moved their friends, students, and colleagues to fight for their own marriages. Jim and Lynda's relationship did not just serve as an example of what is good in marriage, it inspired others to seek the best their relationships offered.
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In our search for great stories that entertain, edify, and inspire on the big screen, we believe telling the love story of Jim and Lynda will positively contribute to society's discussion of what marriage means. More importantly, we believe the audience will be moved by a deeper understanding of true love, the sacrifice it takes, and the joy it brings.
We also believe telling Jim and Lynda's story will bring hope and courage to people who are fighting M.S. or similar diseases.
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We are raising funds for Loving Lynda in phases. For Production (phase 1) we raised $60,000 in donations and investments. This covered the cost of equipment, travel and crew. Our crew shot over 40 interviews with nearly 80 hours of interview footage from Dallas, Texas, Hershey, Pennsylvania and Northwest Arkansas. In addition, or research team documented thousands of photos and hundreds of video clips. Thanks to all the people who contributed to Phase 1. See the list here.
Phase 2 of the project is Post Production, where we take this footage and form it into a compelling documentary. We will also shoot some "pick-up" interviews of key people we weren't able to get during Production. The $30,000 we are raising of donations will be used for:
- Editing the footage
- Acquiring music rights
- Color correction and finishing
- Sound finishing
- Various expenses (meals, legal expenses, travel)
- Crew fees
While we need to raise $30k to finish the movie, we are going to try and raise an additional $10k to pay for a special shoot to enhance the value of the film. The idea is to find a 1954 Pontiac Catalina, similar to the one Jim and Lynda got engaged in, and recreate the road trip Jim took the summer of '64 from Dallas to Pennsylvania to Siloam Springs when they were first falling in Love.
Phase 3 of fundraising will cover distribution.
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Q. Does Jim Walters know about this? Is he on board?
A. Yes. Jim has given us permission to use his story and is fully supportive.
Q. I have a friend who has made a movie but didn't get it distributed, how are you sure you can get the documentary into festivals, theaters, and on DVD/Netflix?
A. We have strong relationships with several distributors who have distributed our movies CAMP and Coyote County Loser. Both films got into festivals, got theatrical releases, DVD releases, international releases, and can be seen on Netflix.
Q. I love Jim Walters and I have a great story about him for your film!
A. Great! Email your story to jacob@roebuckmedia.com or just leave it in the comments!
Q. Will this be a "Christian" movie? I love/hate Christian films!
A. We would rather think of our film as a movie about Christians that is accessible to the mainstream audiences. We will work with both Christian and mainstream distributors.
Q. When will Loving Lynda be released/ what's the distribution plan? A. The Documentary of Loving Lynda is projected to be in select theaters by late 2015 or 2016. Our goals for distribution and screenings for the documentary of Loving Lynda include: festivals, theatrical release, DVD release, international release, and Netflix.
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Roebuck Media specializes in films that Entertain, Edify, and Inspire.
Our first feature film was the award-winning romantic comedy Coyote County Loser. Coyote County Loser is available on DVD, BluRay, Amazon Prime, Netflix and iTunes digital download.
"A romantic comedy for the loser in all of us."
In the Spring of 2013 Roebuck Media released CAMP to 85 theaters in the U.S. and drawn over 2 million views on Netflix. Inspired by true stories from a camp for abused and neglected children, the theatrical run raised over $70,000 to send foster children to summer camp. In response to CAMP, thousands of people took action and volunteered at camps all over the nation. More at http://thecampmovie.com
"Hope is found in unexpected places."