Project Cinema
“May he give you the desire of your heart, and make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.”
Filmmaking is such an incredible art form. There’s a place on set for every type of person and for each skill type and spiritual gift. As Christians, we get to be a part of the ultimate story that God is writing, and he has given us the incredible gift of being storytellers ourselves.Everyone’s got a story to tell, but we’re passionate about telling stories that glorify God and allow us to create a conversation around who Jesus is and how we can better live like him.
Project Cinema is excited to announce our first film collaboration, a Christian romantic comedy called, “The Guy I’m Not Dating.” We feel called to tell this story! After being inspired by the book of the same name by Trish Perry, we felt led to use our talents to turn it into a full-length feature film, not just because we loved the story, but because it’s a story that needs to be told for teens, young adults, and singles.
The Guy I'm Not Dating is a delightful comedy about a hopeless romantic who, after swearing off dating to trust in God's perfect timing, finds herself on an unexpected road trip with the man of her dreams.
Pre-production is underway. Principal photography will begin in 2021 in Chattanooga, TN. This charming, romantic comedy is slated to be released just in time for Valentines Day, 2022. This is the first full-length feature in which Project Brickworks will be involved. Find out more information about the project below, and check back for updates.
CURRENT STATUS
After procuring the film rights to the novel, we are officially in pre-production on “The Guy I’m Not Dating.” We have received thousands of casting submissions from actors across the U.S. and are continuing to narrow down final casting decisions. We have also begun location scouting in and around the Chattanooga, TN.
SYNOPSIS:
Kara Richardson is done with dating. She's tried it all: apps, websites, blind dates, and has now decided to give her love life up to God. In walks Gabe, a newcomer in this small Virginia town, getting ready to open his own deli that Kara happens to walk into to escape the rain. After asking her out, Kara explains that she's not dating, and, in solidarity, Gabe decides to do the same.
With the help of her friends Ren and Jeremy, Kara struggles with her feelings for Gabe and the pull to stay true to her decision not to date, while Gabe struggles to fight the advances of Tiffany, Kara's man-eating, beautiful co-worker, who sees every male she meets as a conquest. And Gabe is no exception.
When Gabe's teen siblings, Rachel and Ricco, along with Rachel's boyfriend, Jake, show up unexpectedly for a surprise visit, Gabe is forced to return them back to Florida, and the road-trip shenanigans ensue, with Kara, Ren, and Tiffany in tow.
As friendships are made and feelings grow stronger, Kara begins to understand what she's looking for and what trusting in the Lord is really all about.
WHY THIS FILM?
As a result of advances in technology, dating has completely changed in the last few years. All the traditional rules that used to apply, almost don’t exist. Gender roles are blurred, common courtesy is hard to find, instant gratification is the norm, and “waiting” for the right person has been replaced with constantly swiping left and right. "The Guy I’m Not Dating" covers several critical Christian dating themes including: abstinence, waiting on God, forgiveness, courtship, male/female friendship, seeing past surface level stereotypes, being Christ-like examples, and the pain of divorce. Diving even deeper into these themes, the film addresses the unique dating challenges that young men and women face today. It's a film for the modern-day, single Christian looking for the partner God has for them.
CAST/CREW
We are thrilled to have solidified two key roles in making this film happen. The first, is Christian, Los Angeles based actress, Olivia Liang, in the lead role of Kara Richardson.
Olivia is an incredible up-and-coming actress with impeccable comedic timing, something we looked for when searching for the perfect Kara. You can check out her demo reel here. Olivia graduated from UCLA’s Professional Program in Acting For The Camera, was featured in the prestigious ABC Discovers: Actors’ Showcase, and she recently booked the starring role in the upcoming CW series, “KUNG FU.” Other notable credits include roles in “Dating After College” for Wong Fu Productions (3.2 million Youtube subscribers), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), One Day At A Time (Netflix), and Pillow Talk (Blackpills), as well as commercials for Apple, Jack in the Box, Misfit, and McDonalds.
Our second key finding is Chattanooga local, Bryan Fowler, our Director of Photography. From our first meeting with him, we could tell that Bryan had a vision and heart for this movie. His previous work is visually stunning, and we cannot wait to collaborate with him and see him use his God given talent to help us create this film! You can check out his work over at FowlerFilms.com.