"A complex and quiet meditation on the effects megachurches can have on young adults who are still figuring themselves out...."
"One of the most unique and interesting films we have at AFF this year...."
SPEAKING IN TONGUES
FEATURE
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Jake (Scott Hennelly), a lonely college student, gravitates towards a charismatic megachurch after the death of his mother. When Eli, a hip youth pastor, invites him to Chicago for an “evangelism internship”, Jake finds his newfound faith put to the test. A complex, realistic “coming of atheism” story of a young person coming to grips with what they believe, that Barbara Morgan, AFF festival head called “one of the best features we have this year” (2018). IMDB
Starring Scott Hennelly, Tyler Esselman, Audrey Gladson, and Pete Schwaba
Produced by Harry Cherniak, Nathan Deming
Written by Nathan Deming & Lawrie Doran
Directed by Nathan Deming
Original Score composed by Andrea Boccodoro
2018 Austin Film Festival - Official Selection / In Competition
DISTRIBUTOR:
1a Accommodation Road
London, England NW11 8ED
UK
PRESS
On Story Podcast (Below)
THE STORY OF "SPEAKING IN TONGUES"
In 2014, I directed a term project at the London Film School called "Tongues", about my experiences in a megachurch in the midwest during college. The short film was a humorous and fun look at an obvious cultural punching bag (sexuality in a megachurch) and after graduating it was my dream to make a much subtler, more nuanced film about those same experiences made FOR Christians and non-Christians alike.
To make the film I teamed up with my LFS classmates Lawrie Doran (Islands) to write the script, DP Mark Khalife (La Mer et ses Vagues) to shoot the film, and Astrid Carlen-Helmer (Disney's Firebuds) to edit.
Eventually we teamed up with producer Harry Cherniak for post-production and composer Andrea Boccodoro (Violation) for the score, and for the next 3 years, I put my heart and soul into making this feature a reality.
L to R: Lawrie Doran, Astrid Carlen-Helmer, Nathan Deming, Scott Hennelly, Tyler Esselman, Harry Cherniak
A CHICAGO STORY & PORTRAIT OF CHRISTIANITY
I’m proud of this film and how it captures a slice of Chicago life and the quirky and meaningful sides of evangelical Christianity. We worked really hard to make sure things were accurate and not disrespectful. Thousands of young people are doing "evangelism internships" like the one depicted in the film every eyar, and you may run into one at a tourist spot or coffee shop.... Who knows? They might still be figuring things out.
- Nathan
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