Paris Warner stars in ‘Finding Grace’ at LDS Film Festival
Paris Warner, right, stars as Alaska Rose in "Finding Grace," which will be showing at the LDS Film Festival at the SCERA Center For the Arts in Orem.
Paris Warner stars as Alaska Rose in "Finding Grace," which will be showing at the LDS Film Festival at the SCERA Center For the Arts in Orem.
Jasen Wade appears as Conner Rose in a scene from "Finding Grace," which will be showing at the LDS Film Festival at the SCERA Center For the Arts in Orem.
Paris Warner stars as Alaska Rose in "Finding Grace," which will be showing at the LDS Film Festival at the SCERA Center For the Arts in Orem.
“Finding Grace” may be the title of Warren Fast’s debut as a writer/director, but it also serves as kind of a description for the feature film’s overall production.
That’s because the film — which premieres Thursday at 8 p.m. at the LDS Film Festival at the SCERA Center For the Arts in Orem, with a repeat showing on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. — faced its own set of unforeseen problems, namely a category 5 hurricane which wreaked havoc throughout the city where shooting had just finished.
“We filmed entirely in my current home town of Panama City, Florida,” said Fast. “Shortly after we wrapped the shoot, Hurricane Michael completely devastated our town, which is on the coast, and wiped off the map smaller towns like Mexico Beach. It ripped through the entire Panhandle, up into Marianna, Florida, and continued its destruction into other states. We are still very affected. Several of my employees lost their homes completely. We have some damage that is still not repaired. … But as I was saying, we experienced miracles throughout the production process, because I truly never expected to be where we are now when I first decided to take this step into feature filmmaking.”
In its synopsis, “Finding Grace” is described as a film about a family on the verge of disintegration, that is coping with new challenges that test their faith in God and each other.
Starring in the lead role of rebellious teenager Alaska Rose is 21-year-old Utah actress Paris Warner. Warner is best known for her lead performance in 2015’s “Once I Was a Beehive.”
Fast was quick in his praise for Warner.
“She is a star and belongs in front of the camera,” Fast said.
According to Fast, Warner is an experienced talent beyond her years.
” ‘Finding Grace’ is a character-driven piece and I knew from seeing her performance in several other films that she was perfect for the lead role of Alaska Rose,” Fast said. “Paris was amazing to work with in terms of her ability to memorize lines, to prepare for scenes and to work closely with other actors in delivering stellar performances. She’s a true professional in that she takes direction well, but also provides good insight on story and character when appropriate. It was a grueling process for her as she was on set every single day of the shoot and had some intense emotional scenes that really drained her. It was nothing short of magic experiencing her become Alaska and take what I had put on paper and then gift us all a Hollywood-level performance.”
The cast also features Jasen Wade, who is pulling double duty at this year’s LDS Film Fest as he also stars in “Out of Liberty.” Wade has appeared in several LDS-themed films, including “Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed” and “The Cokeville Miracle.”
Other cast members include East Coast actress Bethany Davenport, Kisha Oglesby, Erin Gray, Bo Svenson and David Keith.
“Each provided outstanding performances in key supporting roles tailored to their personal skills and presence,” Fast said.
As for the film’s overriding message, Fast said it revolves around faith and hope.
“In experiencing the film, I hope people come away with a deeper understanding of God’s love for us and what our journey in this life is really all about,” he said. “Along with this message of faith, the theme of ‘Finding Grace’ is simple: There is hope. We are not alone in trials, or hardship, or pain. Everyone experiences these at times in their life. But by loving and helping others through these obstacles, we can better overcome our own. Along the way, we can discover true healing and true joy.”