The Ground Beneath Our Feet

Currently Funding

The Ground beneath our feet

An old diary transports Emma Bryant to the past, where she discovers what’s missing in the present. Is there still hope for the future?

Funds will be used for post-production of this film.

Funding Progress | $145,000 of $320,000

45%

Make a Tax Deductible donation of any amount.

Watch Trailer

Trailer

Overview

The Ground Beneath Our Feet

Twenty-first century teen, Emma Bryant, is being swallowed up by the growing darkness in her culture. At school, her classmates are either apathetic or belligerent but her teachers are too stressed to care. She is underpaid and overworked by her ill-tempered employer, and her abusive step-dad is making her home life unbearable. Social life offers relief from her unrelenting hardships but Emma finds herself uncomfortable with some of the choices her peers are making. When circumstances force Emma to move in with her Grandpa Roy, she discovers an old diary at his house. Each time she reads it, she enters into a time altogether different than her own.

The year is 1957. Family life for teen Evelyn Blakely takes a turn for the worse when her sister, Mary, and her Elvis Presley look-alike boyfriend, Roy, take offense at Evelyn’s piety and begin taunting her at every turn. Their bullying culminates in the stealing of her very private diary.

Back to the future, Nicole’s daughter, Emma Bryant, discovers more than just her mother’s past in the pages of Evelyn’s diary. She ascertains that something was present in the 1950s that is conspicuously missing in the twenty-first century, namely faith in God. Emma wonders whether she’s landed on the very reason for the despair engulfing her country.

Having been led to Christ through Evelyn’s diary in the 1960s, Grandpa Roy takes Emma to church. The sermon pricks her conscience. Her fearful proclivities ignited, Emma endeavors through good works to save herself from eternal damnation. After trying and failing, she throws herself headlong into the same disastrous mistakes her mother made at her age.

Just when Emma’s at her lowest, tragedy strikes. What follows is a beauty from ashes story. Woven through two eras, the gospel message finally makes it’s way from Emma’s head to her heart, leading her at last into the arms of her Savior.

Funding Progress

$145,000 of $320,000

23%

Episode 1

$927,296

Raised*

2,173 People*

Funds will be used for MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION (P&A). If you are considering funding all or part of the P&A, a private link of the film available upon request.

Featuring The Songs of Petra

Petra is one of the most popular Christian rock bands of all time! An iconic 80’s rock band, Petra has sold over 10 million records, won 4 Grammys and 10 Dove Awards, and been inducted into both the Christian Music Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Directed By Lauren Havel

As a young child, Lauren remembers praying that the Lord would use her life to make His name great. At thirteen, she felt that prayer being answered when she fell in love with filmmaking while participating in a local film camp. Shortly afterwards, she created an anti-bullying short film that went viral on YouTube, amassing over 7.5 million views. At fourteen, Lauren created her first full-length feature film. She was later presented with The Young Filmmaker Award for “Screened In” at the 2021 Christian Worldview Film Festival. Lauren completed her second feature film at the age of 16. “Not Broken” has since been viewed nearly 5 million times on one platform alone and is among the most popular movies on Encourage TV. Lauren started filming her latest feature at the age of 17. “The Ground Beneath Our Feet” is a cautionary tale about what becomes of a nation that turns its back on God.

Written By Jennifer Havel

While homeschooling her two children, Jennifer’s youngest came to her and asked her if she could set aside the academics for a while to pursue filmmaking. Though Jennifer didn’t know the first thing about filmmaking, she was acutely aware of Lauren’s exceptional artistic abilities & prayerfully accepted her request. Shortly afterwards, Lauren enlisted Jennifer as her new screenwriter and together, the mother-daughter duo set out to share the hope of Christ through the art of storytelling. In time, the workload became too much for the two of them so they recruited Lauren’s dad, Chris, as their sole crew member and her brother, Ethan, as their drone pilot. Six years ago, the last place in the world the Havels ever thought they would be was in Hollywood but they will happily go wherever the Lord sends them!

Cinematography By JJ Bukowski

JJ is a film industry veteran who has helmed over a dozen feature films, including the upcoming “The Wayfaring Stranger” with Stephen Baldwin, “Grace Wins,” and “Disciples in the Moonlight,” which will hit theaters nationwide in 2024.

WAYS TO BE PART OF THE I CAN TEAM

MAKE YOUR DONATION

Make a tax deductible donation of any amount! Your donation goes immediately to the finishing, marketing and distribution of Sugarhouse. That means your donation immediately begins working and making an impact on the culture for Christ!

FOR-PROFIT FUNDING PARTNER

At Kappa Distribution, we strive to ensure absolute transparency and fairness for all those who contribute financially to our films. This includes both those who have supported the film’s production and those who contribute to its marketing and distribution. Therefore, we reject the conventional Hollywood financial models where only a few individuals receive the majority of the revenue generated by the film, leaving the vast majority with little to no compensation. Instead, with Kappa Distribution, we all share in the revenues from the very first dollar generated until the last.

When a film is distributed, there are myriad revenue streams that generate income, such as theatrical releases, digital streaming, and foreign sales. The majority of the revenue (approximately 70%) is earned within the first year after the film’s release. By the end of the second year, approximately 90% of the film’s total revenue will be received, with the remaining 10% trickling in during the third year and beyond.

As our mission at Kappa Distribution is to impact the culture for Christ, we believe it is crucial to assist filmmakers in achieving financial success so that they can continue creating films that make a positive impact on the culture. Therefore, after decades of experience and years of prayer, we firmly believe that the following financial model is in the best interest of all parties involved:

Initially, all revenues generated through the film’s distribution will be split as follows:

Marketing & Distribution funders 40% (prorated)
Filmmaker/Film funders 35%
Kappa Distribution 25%

Once the marketing & distribution funders are made whole, revenues are split as follows for the duration of the agreement:

Marketing & Distribution funders 10% (prorated)
Filmmaker/Film funders 70%
Kappa Distribution 20%

Are you a fund? If so, the profits from the finances you provide can go back into your fund.

FAQ

What is Kappa Studios?

Kappa Studios is a Burbank, California based post-production service provider for film and television for over 25 years. In 2016, the company shifted its focus exclusively to faith and family-friendly content.

What is Kappa's role in film and television production?

Kappa Studios is a post-production entity responsible for creating the final versions of films or TV shows. They also deal directly with film and TV outlets including theaters, TV stations, and streaming platforms.

What is Kappa Distribution?

Kappa Distribution is a new entity launched by Kappa Studios to formalize their status as faith and family content aggregators. They act as a conduit between Christ-centered content creators and outlets, aiming to influence the world with media that points people to Christ.

What challenges do Kappa Studios help solve?

Kappa Studios helps content creators who lack the necessary funds to complete their projects. They launched The Christian Film Finishing Fund (CFFF), a 501c3 fund that receives tax-deductible donations for the completion of these projects.

What is the mission of Kappa Studios in conjunction with The Christian Film Finishing Fund (CFFF)?

The mission has three main goals:

Acceleration: Expedite the completion of Christ-advancing film and TV projects.Quality: Utilize their extensive experience to ensure projects are completed with excellence.Repetition: Free content creators from the need to raise funds or find distribution, so they can focus on creating more projects.

What happens with the profits from gospel-advancing film and TV projects?

Financial profits received from CFFF film or TV projects are placed back into the donor's non-profit donor advised fund or back into the CFFF. No financial profits can be legally returned directly to the donor.

What is the Kappa Studios impact investment model?

Kappa Studios has an innovative financial model where, after distribution income is received, this income is divided between the content creator (40%), the impact investor (40%), and Kappa Distribution (20%). Once the investor has received a 100% return, the split changes to 75% for the content creator, 10% for the investor, and 15% for Kappa Distribution.