New Gospel Movie Genre to Feature at Atlanta's 2004 Independent Black Film Festival
by Anonymous

January 15 2004--Desselb Productions’ release of its latest motion picture, A Shepherd of Pure Heart, marks the birth of a new form of entertainment - the Gospel Movie. Inspired by the success of the Gospel Play, Desselb’s Gospel Movie aims to reach the same audience, but with a different message.

A Shepherd of Pure Heart tells the story of Karl Upton, an idealistic young minister called to reach out to at-risk youth in his community. When his calling leads him into a scandal, Karl finds that spiritual darkness doesn’t stop at the church doorstep, and must call on God to restore the light to his church, his family and his soul.

Unlike the Gospel Plays, A Shepherd of Pure Heart is not a musical. “We want to bring the lives and adventures of believers to the screen in a dramatic and exciting way,” says writer and director Keith Garside. “We aim to create compelling entertainment that reflects positive values and images without hokiness or smugness.” The result of this effort is a message and a culture never before seen on screen. “This is not your standard urban movie,” Garside explains. “It is about every-day hard-working African-Americans trying to be heroic in their own lives.”
“A Shepherd of Pure Heart” premiered in September of 2003 at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis, Maryland, and became an official selection of the 2004 Independent Black Film Festival in Atlanta, Georgia in January of 2004. Featured in the festival’s Kodak New Directors’ Showcase, it is the second movie from Desselb, which was established in 2000, when gospel drama producer Evangela Butler-Sherman joined forces with writer/director Keith Garside. Butler-Sherman had already cultivated a drama ministry to youth through her church and aspired to move the gospel message from stage to the screen.

Through her partnership with Garside, Butler-Sherman wrote and produced Desselb’s first Gospel Movie, You’re Never Too Young. Aimed at teenagers, it tells the story of two African-American girls in the suburbs who learn the hard way about their need for God’s grace in their lives. The success of You’re Never Too Young inspired Desselb to take on two more partners - George Butler and Calvin Thomas Jr., and to shoot for even higher goals. A Shepherd of Pure Heart is aimed at adults and encompasses a cast of over 50 actors and extras from Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia. The film was shot primarily in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland, and in Baltimore City.
A distinguishing feature of Desselb is its strong community roots and resources. “Cooperation from the community was phenomenal,” Garside said. “Almost everyone we contacted had already heard of us.” It is the use of these resources that gives Desselb movies their realistic look and feel: an atmosphere audiences instantly identify with. “The world needs more movies like this,” said a patron on a review survey from A Shepherd of Pure Heart’s premiere. And if Desselb has its way, the world will have them.

Desselb Productions 144 Langdon Farm Circle, Odenton, MD 21113
(410) 672-2868 (phone/fax) discus@desselb.com www.desselb.com

Submit Your Article