The pro-life story will hit the silver screen in a limited engagement this September.
Fourteen years after teaming up for the faith-based hit Fireproof, Kirk Cameron and the Kendrick Brothers - Alex and Stephen - are back together for Lifemark. The new film tells the tale of an 18-year-old boy who meets the birth mother who gave him up for adoption as an infant.
It has several firsts for the Georgia filmmakers, starting with the fact that it is based on a true story, which the Kendricks have not done in the past. In a promotional video for the movie, Stephen Kendrick explains how deeply moving the story was to them when they first came across it.
"It is such a beautiful thing when our hearts start beating along with God's heart in valuing the orphan, in caring for them. God is a father to the fatherless and He places the lonely into families. He created not only the family, but He created adoption."
And that is an issue close to the hearts of both Stephen Kendrick, who has a daughter he and his wife adopted from China, and to Kirk Cameron, the adoptive father of four of his six children. That means it will be a case of art imitating life for the Christian actor since he plays the father of the adopted boy in this film, which he describes in very uplifting terms beyond its foundational right-to-life message.
"This movie is pro-family, it's pro-love, it's pro-forgiveness, it's pro-reconciliation and new beginnings."
The Kendrick Brothers co-wrote and executive produced the picture and Alex plays an on-screen role, but - getting back to those aforementioned firsts - in a break with tradition, Alex did not direct the film, having passed the baton to a director named Kevin Peebles; as Christian Film Blog previously reported, this is part of a plan from the Kendricks to help mentor young Christian filmmakers. The brothers also are not producing or releasing this film with Sony Pictures' Affirm Films division - their normal partners - and will instead put it out through Fathom Events, a joint venture between America's three largest theater chains: AMC, Cinemark and Regal Cinemas.
Lifemark is scheduled to run for seven days, starting on September 9th and you can find a theater in your area and purchase tickets via this link to Fathom Events' website. In the meantime, the video below will give you a better feel for what to expect.