Sherwood Pictures is an American independent Christian film production company in Albany, Georgia, United States. It is unusual among production companies in that it is a ministry of a local church, Sherwood Baptist Church. The company uses mostly volunteers in their productions. It was founded in 2003 by Alex Kendrick, the associate pastor of media for Sherwood Baptist Church with $20,000 in donations.
 | |
| Company type | Ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Website | SherwoodPictures.com |
The company's first film was Flywheel (2003), but it is best known for Facing the Giants (2006), Fireproof (2008), the highest-grossing independent film of the year, Courageous (2011), and Courageous Legacy (2021). The Kendrick Brothers have also produced War Room (2015), Overcomer (2019), Show Me the Father (2021), Lifemark (2022), and The Forge although they're not Sherwood Pictures films.
History
editSherwood Pictures was founded in 2003 by Alex Kendrick, the associate pastor of media for Sherwood Baptist Church with $20,000 in donations. Kendrick has also written and directed each of Sherwood's films.[1] The budget of each film has been significantly larger than the film directly previous, at $20,000 for Flywheel, $100,000 for Facing the Giants, $500,000 for Fireproof, $2 million for Courageous, $3 million for War Room, and $5 million for Overcomer.[2]
Sherwood's films have earned back their budgets dozens of times over. Facing the Giants made 102 times its budget, Fireproof earned 67 times its budget, and Courageous made eight times its budget in its first ten days in theaters.[3]
In 2011, The Hollywood Reporter wrote about Sherwood's increasing success:
The movies have progressed from amateurish to critical successes. 'The characters are complex and well drawn, struggling with various personal issues that test their faith and character in believable ways,' The Hollywood Reporter film reviewer Frank Scheck wrote of Courageous.[3]
In 2013, Alex Kendrick and his two brothers left the Sherwood Pictures department to found the production company Kendrick Brothers.[4]
Filmography
edit- Flywheel (2003)
- Facing the Giants (2006)
- Fireproof (2008)
- Courageous (2011)
- Courageous Legacy (2021)
Cast
edit| Actor/Actress | Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flywheel | Facing the Giants | Fireproof | Courageous | |
| Alex Kendrick | Jay Austin | Grant Taylor | Pastor Strauss | Adam Mitchell |
| Kirk Cameron | Caleb Holt | |||
| Shannen Fields | Miss Gardner | Brooke Taylor | ||
| Erin Bethea | Alicia Houston | Catherine Holt | ||
| Ken Bevel | Michael Simmons | Nathan Hayes | ||
| Tracy Goode | Bernie Myers | Brady Owens | Benny Murphy | |
| Jim McBride | Butch Bowers | Bobby Lee Duke | Carl Hatcher | Church Member |
| Jason McLeod | Brock Kelley | Eric Harmon | ||
| Kevin Downes | Shane Fuller | |||
| Janet Lee Dapper | Judy Austin | School Teacher | Nurse | |
| Bailey Cave | David Childers | Ross | ||
| Walter Burnett | Max Kendall | Stan Schulz | Dr. Anderson | |
| Carla Hawkins | Ms. Wright | Tina Simmons | ||
| Renee Jewell | Winners Friend | Jackie | Victoria Mitchell | |
References
edit- ^ Fisher, Luchina (October 3, 2008). "'Fireproof' Shows Christian Movies Sell". ABC News. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
- ^ Newcomb, Tim (August 25, 2011). "Faith-Based Filmmaking: The Sherwood Pictures Crusade". Time. Archived from the original on September 5, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
- ^ a b Box Office Shocker: How Moviemaking Georgia Church Behind 'Courageous' Outperforms Hollywood
- ^ Jim Wallace, Kendrick brothers want to train next generation of Christian film makers, walb.com, USA, April 10, 2013