The Story

Adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, this film closely follows his story of guilt, legalism, revenge, love, and ultimately God’s forgiveness. In a Puritan colony in the 1640’s, a nineteen-year-old Hester Prynne, whose much older husband has been missing for three years, has an adulterous affair with the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. When Hester Prynne is discovered pregnant, she chooses not to reveal the father but rather bears the punishment herself. Yet, when her husband, Roger Chillingworth, returns from the wilderness to see her standing in shame before the town, he is determined to discover who the father is. He is bent on revenge by psychologically tormenting Arthur. It is only by finding forgiveness from God that Arthur and Hester can overcome the retribution and oppression that their sin and their society have cast upon them.

Risen Light Films Mission Statement

Risen Light Films strives to produce powerful and moving films that bring honor to Jesus Christ and enlighten truth. We seek to tell stories that are honest and complex, with characters who resonate with real life and messages that are presented humbly yet passionately.

In Brief

After auditioning actors from around the country for over two months, we have now cast our film and recruited our crew. Thankfully, each and every person involved in this project is volunteering his or her time so our fundraising is only to cover filming supplies, costumes, travel expenses, food, lodging, and transportation (our plan is to shoot this film in Massachusetts.) In order to create this powerful film about God’s forgiveness, we will need your help to raise the necessary funds.

Production

Production will begin in the middle of May and last two weeks.

Distribution

We plan to submit the film to various film festivals, and we would love to see a production company pick it up for further distribution. We hope to spread this film as widely as possible.

Who We Are

Director/Screenwriter: Elizabeth Berry

Elizabeth is an avid screenwriter and director. She has directed seven amateur films and written numerous scripts. When Elizabeth was about eleven-years-old, she began filmmaking and has continued ever since. Also, she is studying Social Work at Florida State University.

Producer/Director of Photography: Stephen Berry

Stephen has worked on over a dozen amateur films of varying length. His work includes cinematography, screenwriting, directing, editing, and composing. He has written over five hours of original music and has completed a number of short stories. Stephen has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida.

Cast

Molly Wilson as Hester Prynne

Molly is an accomplished stage actress, having performed the lead roles of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Ophelia in Hamlet (Capital City Shakespeare Company). She also played Vivian in Oklahoma! and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Additionally, Molly has won numerous speech awards for the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association. One character Molly would love to play is Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Elijah White as Arthur Dimmesdale

Elijah began acting in grade school in small plays performed with his home school co-op. Since then, he has continued to act in theater, amateur films, and recently in a promotional video for Liberty University. If he could choose a character to act, he’d pick Ehud from the Bible: they are both left-handed. Other than acting, Elijah enjoys working out, playing sports, and strumming his ukelele. He is currently studying at Liberty University.

John Risner as Roger Chillingworth

John Risner discovered his love of acting at a young age. The youngest of six children, he and his siblings performed a play each Christmas for their parents. His acting career began when he landed the lead role in the 2011 Bridgestone Multimedia release, Redemption Ride. The film was nominated for Best Feature Film at the 2010 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. If given the opportunity, he would most like to play famed Christian musician, Keith Green. John is also an experienced musician as a singer/songwriter and worship leader. He enjoys hiking, home improvement projects, ultimate Frisbee and telling stories to his children. John lives in Ohio with his wife and four children.

Olivia Jammer as Pearl

Olivia began acting at four years old. She has acted in multiple local amateur films and Shakespeare plays with her home school co-op. She enjoys soccer, dress-up, and outdoor adventures. If she could choose anyone to act, she would choose Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia.

Mark Rios as Governor Bellingham

Mark Rios started acting professionally about ten years ago. His work includes stage productions (with lead roles in Miracle on 34th Street, Behold the Lamb, and A Christmas Carol), commercials (for Jeopardy, Cash America, and Tenet Healthcare), films (Its Out There, Oswald: 48 Hours to Live, and Elements), and several voiceover roles. He enjoys traveling, hiking, and playing with his two-year-old daughter at the park. He would love to play Ebenezer Scrooge on screen as he has done on stage.

Long Term Goals

As filmmakers, we hope that The Scarlet Letter is only the beginning, that we will continue to make high quality films in the future. Thus, your support for this film will overflow into future film projects.

One such current project is a half-hour short film that Stephen Berry (producer) will be directing in February.

Other Ways To Help

First and foremost, pray for us. Pray that God would inspire our work, provide the funds to make this film, and help the entire filming process to run smoothly.

Tell others about this film! Spread the word, and share this campaign so that we can reach as many people as possible.

Where Your Funds Will Go

We plan to collect all funds whether or not we reach our goal, as we are continuing forward with this film in faith that we will have the means to see it to the end whether through this fundraiser, outside support, donations of supplies, or a combination of multiple means. Every dollar you donate is one step closer to the completion of this project.