Bethany Hamilton: "Soul Surfer, "I Am Second"

I have heard people saying that Christian movies are poor in quality. That is no longer true. With the recent Narnia series and movies like Fireproof, faith films are getting better in both quality and quantity. Based on a story of teenager Bethany Hamilton's story of surviving a shark attack, Soul Surfer tells about the tragedy, the recovery and her victory. Behind her amazing transformation is a quiet intentional faith in God.

This upcoming movie promises to be filled with quality actors and actresses (Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid..,;). The story is simple but is profoundly rich in inspiration and faith. You can see the trailer of SOUL SURFER here. There is also a touching clip from the movie here.



This is a movie which I'll be keeping an eye on. It's set to be released on April 8th, 2011. It has all the promises of faith-filled moments of hope and love. The genre is the touching hero-to-zero-hero-again. Will be a tear-jerker. Comprising an amazing all-star cast of familiar faces, this unabashedly movie about a teenage girl's faith in Jesus, will certainly encourage many Christians. Bethany Hamilton has a personal blog here. A flyer is available also for churches. See how Bethany describes her story here.

BETHANY HAMILTON'S FAITH
Why is Bethany saying "I am second?" It is because Jesus is first.




The information below is adapted from the soulsurferwave.com. I have made minor adjustments to make it more readable.

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WHAT THE FILM IS ABOUT
SOUL SURFER is the inspiring true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, through her sheer determination and unwavering faith. The film features an all-star cast, including AnnaSophia Robb and Helen Hunt, with Carrie Underwood in her film debut, and Dennis Quaid. In the wake of this life-changing event that took her arm and nearly her life, Bethany's feisty determination and steadfast faith spur her toward an adventurous comeback that gives her the grit to turn her loss into a gift for others.


A) THE TRAGEDY
Bethany (Robb) was born to surf. A natural talent who took to the waves at a young age, she was leading an idyllic, sun-drenched, surfer girl?s life on the Kauai Coast, competing in national competitions with her best friend Alana (Lorraine Nicholson), when everything changed in a heartbeat. On Halloween morning, Bethany was on a typical ocean outing when a 14-foot tiger shark came out of nowhere and seemed to shatter all her dreams.

B) THE RECOVERY
SOUL SURFER reveals the moving aftermath of this headline-making story, as Bethany fights to recover and grapples with the future. Strengthened by the love of her parents, Tom (Quaid) and Cheri (Hunt), she refuses to give in or give up, and begins a bold return to the water. Still, the questions keep hammering her: Why did this happen? Why did she have to lose everything? Will she ever feel the joy and power of riding the waves again? And if she can?t be a surfer, then who is she?

The devastating 2004 tsunami in the Pacific Ocean unexpectedly gives Bethany a new perspective. Traveling to Phuket, Thailand with her youth-group leader Sara Hill (Underwood), she witnesses life beyond her own shoreline and discovers her greater purpose?she can make a difference in the lives of others. Filled with a new sense of hope and direction, she returns home with a renewed resolve to conquer her own limitations and set an encouraging example for people facing adversity.

C) THE VICTORY
At the National Championships, Bethany bravely faces off with her fiercest rival, Malia Birch (Sonya Balmores), and takes her astonishing one-armed surfing technique to the limit. But as the horn blows, and the suspenseful competition kicks off, Bethany is no longer thinking about the challenges of her body. Now, her surfing, her biggest dreams and her life have become about pushing her own physical limits to touch the souls of others.

Directed by Sean McNamara, the screenplay was by McNamara, Deborah Schwartz. Douglas Schwartz and Michael Berk. SOUL SURFER is based on the book by Bethany Hamilton, Sheryl Berk and Rick Bundschuh. The screen story by Sean McNamara, Deborah Schwartz, Douglas Schwartz, Michael Berk, Matt R. Allen, Caleb Wilson and Brad Gann.

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I receive no financial compensation from Graf-Martin Communications or the movie producers for the above publicity. It is part of a contest, but I doubt I'll win anything. Anyway, this world needs more inspiration rather than one bad news after another. This blog posting is a courtesy extended to share a great story, that simply needs to be told.


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