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Unbroken: Path to Redemption: A Brief History of Louis Zamperini’s Journey

UNBROKEN: Path to Redemption: A Brief History of Louis Zamperini’s Journey

UnbrokenFilm.com Running Time: 98 minutes Rating: PG-13 #UnbrokenFilm

“I’d made it this far and refused to give up because, all my life, I had always finished the race.” —Louie Zamperini

When he passed away on July 2, 2014 at the age of 97, Louie Zamperini was victoriously celebrated as a true American hero. This former Olympian, whose long, incredible and inspiring life has been described as one of the greatest stories of triumph in the 20 th century, lived through and beyond what most could comprehend. His tale of crippling despair trumped by indomitable will and redemption continues to serve as a message of hope for the millions who have been affected and inspired by his journey.

And it all began more than a century ago. As a youth in Torrance, California, the youngest son of Italian immigrants, Louie was an incorrigible delinquent, breaking into homes, stealing from shops and brawling with anyone who dared challenge this untamable boy. As a teenager, with the persistent encouragement of his older brother, Pete, Louie turned his life around by channeling defiant energy into a shocking talent for running. Breaking record after record across the nation, the 19-year-old “Torrance Tornado” qualified for the 1936 Berlin Olympics and surprised everyone whom he encountered—from his famous teammate Jesse Owens to the man who almost veered mankind toward global destruction: Adolf Hitler.

Like most young people of his generation, when World War II broke out, the young student from University of Southern California, who had come within seconds of breaking the four-minute mile, put his dreams on hold and enlisted in the service. His military career would lead him to become an Army Air Corps bombardier, in which 2 nd Lt. Zamperini embarked upon numerous missions across the Pacific—a daunting profession where approximately 50 percent of his fellow airmen wouldn’t make it through the war. In April 1943, Louie’s defective B-24 Liberator, the Green Hornet, on a rescue mission in the South Pacific, suffered engine failure and crashed into the sea, killing eight of the 11 crew members upon impact.

Louie and his Green Hornet’s two fellow survivors—Russell Allen “Phil” Phillips, the craft’s captain, and Sgt. Francis “Mac” McNamara, its tail gunner—drifted in a six-feet-long by two-feet-wide raft in the open Pacific for many weeks. Mac managed to hang on for 33 days—surviving seven rounds of strafing by a Japanese bomber and the omnipresent sharks that circled their vessel—before he tragically succumbed to his hunger, dehydration and exhaustion. Louie and Phil lasted for a total of 47 days, a

record in the annals of history for survivors on a raft, and ultimately drifted 2,000 miles to an atoll in the Marshall Islands, with the remnants of a typhoon carrying them to shore.

Just as they saw land and were beginning to float toward it, they were captured by the Japanese navy and imprisoned in the first of what would be several POW camps. During more than two years of torturous captivity, Louie—alongside his fellow prisoners—was starved, not to mention mentally and physically abused beyond comprehension. Louie was singled out by a prison commander named Mutsuhiro Watanabe, known to the men as “The Bird,” for particularly sadistic acts of mind games and deplorable brutality.

Louie survived these inhumane ordeals across the most severe regions of war-torn Japan before he learned, on August 20, 1945, (two weeks after the 9,000-pound bomb called Little Boy annihilated Hiroshima), that the Allied prisoners were free men and that the war was over. As Laura Hillenbrand writes in the definitive Louie Zamperini biography, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption: “In the midst of running, celebrating men, Louie stood on wavering legs, emaciated, sick and dripping wet. In his tired mind, two words were repeating themselves over and over: ‘I’m free! I’m free! I’m free!’”

The veteran who had survived so much returned home to Southern California, but his life was forever changed. Louie was plagued by nightmares and a crippling mental disorder that would not be classified as such until decades later: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Like the countless heroes who returned from the far reaches of these cruel detention camps, Louie found post-war life a monumental struggle. For four years after his internment, he battled crippling anxiety, alcohol abuse and demons that visited him every time he went to sleep.

Only after Louie and his new bride, Cynthia, heard a young preacher by the name of Reverend Billy Graham speak in September 1949 would he understand his need to be forgiven and to forgive others. Embracing his new-found Christian faith, Louie’s life turned completely around. In subsequent years, Louie devoted himself to spreading a message of faith, fortitude and forgiveness…going so far as to travel back to Japan and offering forgiveness to the prison guards who had starved him and beat him senseless. Only “The Bird” refused to meet with him.

Louie’s story had all the makings of an unforgettable film. In fact, Universal Pictures had long been interested in his life. In 1957, the studio acquired the rights to Louie’s book Devil at My Heels. Back then it was planned as a vehicle for Tony Curtis, but the project was shelved before a script was drafted. In 1998, a CBS Sports documentary on Louie’s life aired on the network and breathed life back into the project. When producer Matthew Baer watched the piece, he was tremendously affected by what he saw, unknowingly embarking upon what would be a 16-year quest to get a film made. He met with Louie and his family, then brought Louie’s story back to Universal Pictures, as the studio remained tied to the rights. The studio was once again interested in bringing this epic saga to the screen. Although several screenplays were commissioned at the time, no director signed on to the project.

In 2002, however, a turn of events changed everything. Louie Zamperini and best-selling author Laura Hillenbrand’s eight-year journey together began just as the author finished Seabiscuit: An American Legend. During her research for her first book, she kept coming across another famous Californian who was discussed as the only one who could give Seabiscuit a run for his money. She thought: “Someday, I’m going to look into this guy.” She wrote Louie a letter, and he wrote back.

The more they communicated, the more Hillenbrand was fascinated by what she learned about the man and asked if she could write her next book about him. Louie agreed, even though he had written his own story years before. His life dedicated to service, he wanted to spread the word of reconciliation as far as he could.

During their collaboration, which ultimately spanned more than 75 phone interviews and exhaustive globe-spanning research supported by approximately 400 endnotes, Hillenbrand and Zamperini agreed not to meet in person until the book was published. The author needed to envision Louie as the young troublemaker whose spirit would transform him into a hero for the ages…and the subject was busy enough with a charitable schedule and speaking engagements that seemed impossible for men half his age.

Published in 2010, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption became a runaway bestseller, spending more than 185 weeks (15 of those in the top position) on The New York Times hardcover bestseller list. Among its many accolades, Unbroken was awarded Best Nonfiction Book of the Year by Time magazine and won the Los Angeles Times Book of the Year Award for Biography.

After years of having Louie’s amazing story turned down by other financiers, Baer, buoyed by the public’s embrace of Hillenbrand’s book, brought Unbroken back to Universal for consideration. The studio acquired the book in December 2010, and its success lifted plans for the project to head toward production. In 2014, UNBROKEN was released, earning $163 million worldwide at the box office.

About This Production Pure Flix, The WTA Group and Universal 1440 Entertainment present a Matt Baer Films production: UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION, starring Samuel Hunt and Merritt Patterson. The casting is by Nancy Nayor, CSA, and the music is by Brandon Roberts. UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION’s costume designer is Diane Crooke, and the film’s editor is Amy P. McGrath. Its production designer is Mayne Berke, and its director of photography is Zoran Popovic. The drama’s executive producers are Bill Reeves, Erik Weir, Michael Scott, Dave Mechem, Cynthia Garris and Luke Zamperini, and it is produced by Matthew Baer, p.g.a., and Mike Elliott. UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION is based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand. The screenplay is by Richard Friedenberg and Ken Hixon. The film is directed by Harold Cronk.

With the success of UNBROKEN, producer Matthew Baer went to Universal 1440 Entertainment, wanting to tell the post-war aftermath of Louis Zamperini’s remarkable life. “Lou’s story is an embarrassment of cinematic riches, from when he was a young boy until he was 97,” says Baer. “We had tried versions of the first screenplay that included his post-war experience, but the difficulty in making a film version, is once Lou is freed from the Japanese prison camp, it wasn’t possible to have a stronger emotional climax than his return to Torrance. We were not able to make a three-hour version of the film and there was no way to have the female lead, Cynthia, come into the film after two hours. My feeling, and hope, was if UNBROKEN was successful, I’d get the chance the tell Lou’s post-war journey in a way that does it justice.”

The WTA Group was involved with the home entertainment release of UNBROKEN and helped lead the creation of a bonus disc that was included alongside the film to tell the “rest of the story” of Zamperini’s life through archive video footage from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Additionally, the company assisted with the development of a special Christian retail edition. That product sold well, confirming that people wanted the rest of the story.

In 2015, The WTA Group executives Bill Reeves and Dave Mechem met with Glenn Ross, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Universal 1440 Entertainment, to encourage the idea of a film that would tell the rest of Hillenbrand’s book.

“We explained that the millions who read Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling book or saw the first film, UNBROKEN, know and love this next part of Louie’s story,” says Reeves, president of The WTA Group. “For Zamperini fans, UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION shares that next chapter of his astonishing life and his inspirational love story.”

Glenn Ross and Universal 1440 Entertainment agreed the story needed to be told, met with Baer, and development on a new screenplay began, along with bringing aboard director Harold Cronk.

“From the overwhelmingly positive and passionate reaction to UNBROKEN, we believed there was an audience out there eager to see Louie and Cynthia fight and overcome an entirely different set of challenging circumstances,” says Ross.

“The hunger for quality films that contain faith has been proven time and again in the past few years,” says Executive Producer Michael Scott, CEO and co-founder Pure Flix. “That audience very much wants to see the redemption story in Louie’s life on screen.”

“The first film was about Lou’s struggle to survive. This chapter is about the battle for his soul and the incredibly powerful message of forgiveness. Once we can accept that we are broken and allow ourselves to receive grace, we are finally free to offer it to others,” says Cronk.

Screenwriter Richard Friedenberg says, “The heroism of Louie Zamperini, his adventure from the downing of his bomber to his rescue from a Japanese P.O.W. camp, is the stuff of a legend. But what comes after, the story of his return, his heartbreaking struggle, his recovery and ultimate redemption is what attracted me to Laura Hillenbrand’s book. We see in Louie’s conflict so many parallels to the soldiers who continue to return from our present wars, and through his pain and strength we understand the sacrifice every one of them has made.”

Screenwriter Ken Hixon shares, “I was attracted to Lou’s story: the power of second chances and the courage it takes to overcome often insurmountable odds. I also wanted to depict how love at first sight can evolve into a durable, long-lived relationship.”

For Will Graham, the grandson of Billy Graham, the film shines a deserved light on the now- famous 1949 Los Angeles Crusade. Will Graham is an evangelist with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and plays his grandfather in UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION.

“It’s hard to overstate how important the 1949 Crusade was to my grandaddy,” Will Graham says. “Of course, it was of eternal significance to Louie and Cynthia Zamperini and thousands more like them who accepted Christ as a result of granddaddy’s preaching. But Billy Graham was an unknown, a nobody before that Crusade. It was the publisher William Randolph Hearst, who, after three weeks of the Crusade generating no interest, told his editors to ‘puff Graham.’ They put him on the front page and the rest of the media followed.”

Design, Locations and Shooting

“Never give up, no matter what. Even if you get to last place, finish.” —Louie Zamperini

Production began on UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION on September 5, 2017, at Universal Studios and wrapped on September 29, 2017, after 20 days of filming. Locations included Oxnard Beach, Verdugo High School and Cal Poly Pomona campus, where buildings resembling California in the 1940s were utilized.

“UNBROKEN captured the hearts of moviegoers worldwide and garnered several Oscar® nominations,” Producer Mike Elliott says. “The bar was set high for UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION.”

Director Harold Cronk says, “We were able to assemble a team of supremely talented crew members who were committed to telling Louie’s story the right way. Developing and executing a plan to visually communicate Louie’s internal struggles required a tremendous amount of work with the writers. Then came the equally difficult task of finding the actor who was up to the challenge of bringing Louie’s story to life in a way that honored his remarkable journey. Samuel Hunt’s immersive and inspired portrayal of Louie Zamperini does just that.”

Director of Photography Zoran Popovic says, “The biggest challenge of making a period film are the angles on the exterior locations. We had to be very careful where to point the camera. Lots of shots were composed having the CGI enhancement in mind. We added old LA in the background and made Oxnard look like Miami Beach, Florida.”

Costume Designer Diane Crooke adds, “We used actual period costumes of course, so the majority are over 70 years old. Having such affection and respect for the period, special handling and care was required to uphold the integrity of the wardrobe.”

About the Cast “The world, we’d discovered, doesn’t love you like your family loves you.” —Louie Zamperini

Director Cronk and producers Baer, Elliott and Universal 1440 Entertainment were keenly aware of how important the casting choice would be to deliver on Louis and Cynthia’s powerful story for the finished film. Elliott remarks, “Casting was a challenge from the start. We had an entirely new movie but didn’t know how we would replace the original UNBROKEN cast. Would the audience reject new fresh faces? We think we succeeded thanks to an exhaustive nationwide search, and a lot of hard work by our team at Nancy Nayor Casting. We sincerely believe the new cast members are going to steal some hearts.”

Samuel Hunt as Louis Zamperini Samuel Hunt can be seen now as Craig Gurwitch, the former Army Ranger and computer specialist nicknamed ‘Mouse’ on NBC’s Chicago P.D. in addition to several cross-over episodes of Chicago Fire as the same character. Prior to landing his role in the hit Dick Wolf franchise, Samuel was in a number of independent features, appeared regularly on Days of Our Lives, and made waves on the FOX hit series Empire. To know Samuel is to know his impressive rock climbing skills, his solid theater experience and his serious passion as an outdoorsman.

Merritt Patterson as Cynthia Zamperini Merritt Patterson starred as Ophelia Pryce in the first season of E!’s hit series The Royals and as Olivia Matheson in ABC Family’s Ravenswood. She has guest-starred in episodes of numerous series, including Sony/Crackle’s Art of More; the CW’s Life Unexpected and Supernatural; and ABC Family’s Kyle XY, among others. Merritt’s numerous made-for-television credits include Hallmark’s A Christmas Cottage and A Winter Prince; The Pregnancy Project; Radio Rebel; and Iron Golem. She appeared on the big screen in Fox’s PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF and in the independent features WOLVES, PRIMARY, RUFUS and THE HOLE.

Vanessa Bell Calloway as Lila Cleveland native Vanessa Bell Calloway is an actress and director, known for COMING TO AMERICA, DAYLIGHT and CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, among many other film roles. TV credits include recurring roles in Shameless and Hawthorne. An eight-time NAACP Image Award nominee, she and her husband, Dr. Anthony Calloway, have two children.

Will Graham as Billy Graham Vice President and Associate Evangelist, BGEA William Franklin Graham IV (Will) is the third generation of Grahams to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ under the banner of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Will is the grandson of Billy Graham and the oldest son of Franklin Graham. Participating in crusade-style events—called Celebrations—since 2006, he has held evangelistic outreaches on six continents around the world. Will also serves as Vice President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, N.C. In November, Will’s first book—a devotional titled Redeemed: Devotions for a Longing Soul—will be published by Thomas Nelson, featuring stories centered on the life-changing power of a relationship with God. A graduate of Liberty University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Will and his wife, Kendra, have two daughters and a son.

Bobby Campo as Pete Zamperini Just 15 months after his mother suggested acting lessons, Bobby Campo had moved to Los Angeles and landed the first in a variety of television credits including a recurring role on Freeform’s hit series Greek; Law & Order: SVU; and CSI: Miami. Bobby was then cast as the lead in New Line Cinema’s THE FINAL DESTINATION, the fourth installment of the studio’s most successful horror franchise. Bobby began working steadily in independent film and earning series regular roles on Syfy’s Being Human and MTV’s Scream, and acclaimed guest star and recurring roles including ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and FX’s Justified.

Andrew Caldwell as Harry Read Andrew Caldwell is known for the fan-favorite recurring role of Harley Johns in Season 3 of The CW’s iZombie. Other television credits include Netflix’s American Vandal, YouTube Red’s Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on TV, TNT’s The Librarians , How I Met Your Mother, Hannah Montana and a voice roll on Disney XD’s hit animated series Randy Cunningham: 9 th Grade Ninja. Feature film credits include TRANSFORMERS, TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY, ALL ABOUT STEVE and MY BEST FRIEND’S GIRL.

Gary Cole as Dr. Bailey Veteran of stage and screen, Gary Cole received an Emmy nomination for HBO’s Veep. He recently appeared in BLOCKERS, the PBS mini-series Mercy Street and Small Crimes opposite Nikolaj Coster- Waldau. Gary is best known for roles in classic cult comedies such as OFFICE SPACE, TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY and DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY. As an

ensemble member of the famed Steppenwolf Theater Company, Gary’s theater credits include August: Osage County; Speed the Plow; American Buffalo; and Balm in Gilead. Additional film credits include: THE GIFT, A SIMPLE PLAN and Clint Eastwood’s IN THE LINE OF FIRE. Television credits include: American Gothic, The West Wing, Arrested Development, Desperate Housewives, Chuck, The Good Wife, The Good Guys, Suits and Hart of Dixie.

David Sakurai as The Bird Born in Copenhagen, David Sakurai moved to Japan at age 18 where he received theatrical training and honed his skills in Tokyo’s indie film scene. Returning to Denmark in 2008, David earned a variety of drama, comedy and action roles including the lead in the post-apocalyptic action drama EASTERN ARMY (2010), which earned him a Best Actor Award at the Danish Movie Battle Festival. Known for IN ORDER OF DISAPPEARANCE, LIZA, THE FOX-FAIRY and ECHOES OF A RONIN, David’s recent work includes Lilyhammer, Luke Cage and HOUSEWIFE.

Bob Gunton as Major Zeigler Acclaimed films in Bob Gunton’s distinguished career include Oliver Stone’s JFK and BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, GLORY, BROKEN ARROW, Ben Affleck’s ARGO and as the Warden in Frank Darabont’s THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. Just a sampling of Bob’s other film credits includes PATCH ADAMS, DOLORES CLAIBORNE, THE PERFECT STORM and LINCOLN LAWYER. On Broadway, Bob received Tony ® and Drama Desk ® Award nominations for his performance in the title role of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and earned a Tony nomination and won a Drama Desk Award for his performance as President Juan Peron in Evita. Among his myriad TV credits, he had a regular role on the hit series 24 and played Franklin D. Roosevelt in the miniseries World War II: Behind Closed Doors. A Vietnam veteran, Bob was awarded a Bronze Star for Valor.

Vincenzo Amato as Anthony Zamperini Vincenzo Amato is an actor and iron sculptor born in Sicily, Italy, and fluent in five languages. Film credits include Angelina Jolie’s UNBROKEN, WAR STORY with Ben Kingsley and Catherine Keener, Jeremy Leven’s GIRL ON A BICYCLE, DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS, Miramax’s PINOCCHIO, and the award-winning LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. In 2007, he was nominated for the prestigious David di Donatello Award ® for Best Actor in the Miramax film GOLDEN DOOR opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg. Television credits include Madam Secretary, The Blacklist, Elementary, Boardwalk Empire, The Good Wife, Damages, Gossip Girl and Pan Am.

About the Filmmakers

“I think the hardest thing in life is to forgive. Hate is self-destructive. If you hate someone, you’re not hurting the person you hate, you’re hurting yourself. True forgiveness is complete and total.” —Louie Zamperini

Harold Cronk Director Harold Cronk has directed numerous films including GOD’S NOT DEAD, which earned over $62 million at the box office and won the GMA Dove ® Awards for Inspirational Film of the Year. He’s the founding partner in 10 West Studios and EMC Productions. Cronk won the Best Director Award at the Beverly Hills International Film Festival in 2006 for his film WAR PRAYER. He wrote and directed the films JERUSALEM COUNTDOWN and MICKEY MATSON AND THE COPPERHEAD CONSPIRACY. He also has extensive theatrical film credits in art direction and set design.

Richard Friedenberg Writer Richard Friedenberg is best known for writing the film A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, which starred Brad Pitt and was directed by Robert Redford, who was nominated for an Academy Award ® . He also wrote the screenplay for the Hallmark Hall of Fame television film Promise (1986), starring James Garner and James Woods, for which he won an Emmy Award ® . Furthermore, he wrote the screenplay for DYING YOUNG starring Julia Roberts and wrote and directed THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE.

Ken Hixon Writer Ken Hixon is best known for writing the film INVENTING THE ABBOTTS, which starred Jennifer Connelly, Liv Tyler and Joaquin Phoenix. Hixon’s other films include WELCOME TO THE RILEYS, CITY BY THE SEA, INCIDENT AT DECEPTION RIDGE, MORGAN STEWART’S COMING HOME and GRANDVIEW, U.S.A. Two of his television films, Secret Sins of the Father and Caught in the Act, were nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award by the Mystery Writers of America.

Laura Hillenbrand Author Laura Hillenbrand is the author of the No. 1 New York Times best-sellers Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption and Seabiscuit: An American Legend. The latter was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, won the Book Sense Book of the Year Award for adult nonfiction and the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, landed on more than 15 best-of-the-year lists and inspired the film Seabiscuit, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards ® , including Best Picture.

An essay Hillenbrand wrote for The New Yorker, A Sudden Illness, won a 2004 National Magazine Award. Her work has also appeared in such publications as The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times. Hillenbrand and actor Gary Sinise co-founded Operation International Children, through which American troops provided school supplies and other essential items to children in war-stricken countries.

Matthew Baer Producer Matthew Baer is the producer of UNBROKEN, based on Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling book, for Universal Pictures. Angelina Jolie directed from a screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen, William Nicholson and Richard LaGravenese. UNBROKEN earned $163 million worldwide. Baer also produced the character thriller MAGGIE; the indie film, THE BACHELORS, starring J.K. Simmons and Julie Delpy; CITY BY THE SEA with Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand and James Franco; VIEW FROM THE TOP with Gwyneth Paltrow and Mike Myers; JACK FROST with Michael Keaton; and THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS. He is also a producer on the 2018 Tony ® winning revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel.

Mike Elliott Producer Producer Mike Elliott began his career with legendary indie producer Roger Corman, where he eventually became head of motion pictures. Elliott left Corman in 1994 and has since produced more than 100 films and television shows, including several that have appeared in major festivals, such as Sundance, Telluride, New York and Toronto.

Luke Zamperini Executive Producer Luke Zamperini is the only son of Louis and Cynthia Zamperini. As a child, Luke accompanied his father on Victory Boys Camp retreats, giving him the knowledge and wisdom to keep Victory Boys Camp true to its original mission. Luke continues to make himself available for public speaking events where he tells his father’s story and shares his unique perspective on what made Louis the man he was.

Cynthia Zamperini Garris Executive Producer Cynthia Zamperini Garris is the daughter of Louis and Cynthia Zamperini. Cynthia Garris was born in Hollywood. She is an actress, known for CRITTERS 2 (1988), SLEEPWALKERS (1992) and PSYCHO IV: THE BEGINNING (1990). She has been married to Mick Garris since 1982.

Bill Reeves Executive Producer Founder of The WTA Group, Bill Reeves has extensive experience in the Christian product industry in retail roles, and then with Word Entertainment/Warner in distribution, supporting artists such as Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. At Big Idea Productions, Bill led Christian retail product licensing and distribution for the successful VeggieTales brand, including its theatrical release JONAH: A VEGGIETALES MOVIE. At Thomas Nelson Publishers/HarperCollins he served as executive producer of several childrens video properties, including Max Lucado; Hermie & Friends. As Vice President of marketing for Propeller Consulting, Bill participated in the marketing launches of leading faith-based films such as FIREPROOF, COURAGEOUS and SOUL SURFER and led consumer products campaigns for the Kendrick Brothers; films, including the New York Times No. 1 bestselling book The Love Dare and many other charting books. In 2009, Bill launched The WTA Group, which has led marketing campaigns for such films as 90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN, THE ULTIMATE LIFE and GOD’S NOT DEAD. The agency also steered the release of films such as HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, WAR ROOM and I CAN ONLY IMAGINE.

Michael Scott Executive Producer Michael Scott, CEO and co-founder of faith-film giant Pure Flix, has produced more than 25 films and hundreds of television commercials. Among his many films are the breakout hit GOD’S NOT DEAD, the No. 1 faith film of 2014, earning more than $62 million at the box office; GOD’S NOT DEAD 2; and DO YOU BELIEVE? Michael produced the long-running hit TV series Travel the Road, a groundbreaking Christian reality series following the lives of missionaries Timothy Scott and William Decker, as they journey to the ends of the earth. Now airing on TBN, Daystar, INSP, Netflix and many more, Travel the Road has gained a worldwide audience.

Dave Mechem Executive Producer Dave Mechem has more than 25 years of experience in home entertainment sales and retail marketing and has held key positions with Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Turner Broadcasting and Ingram Entertainment. He has worked with key accounts across all channels from mass, club, grocery, e- commerce, rental, distribution and Christian retail. Dave led the home entertainment sales and promotion of AFFIRM Films titles into the general and Christian retail markets and guided the release plans for TO SAVE A LIFE, SOUL SURFER, COURAGEOUS, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL and MOMS’ NIGHT OUT among others. Since joining The WTA Group, Dave has consulted on more than 20 home entertainment releases including GOD’S NOT DEAD, DO YOU BELIEVE?, UNBROKEN and WOODLAWN.

Zoran Popovic Director Of Photography Native of Serbia, Zoran Popovic graduated from the American Film Institute. He has been the director of photography on numerous music videos, commercials and feature films, including WAR INC, a political satire, starring John Cusack and Ben Kingsley; and SIN, starring Gary Oldman, Ving Rhames and Brian Cox. In 2012 Zoran received an Emmy ® for his work on Moments in Time. His recent work includes STANDOFF, starring Thomas Jane and Laurence Fishburne; SUPERCON, starring John Malkovich; UNCHAINED also starring Malkovich, Adrien Brody and Antonio Banderas and directed by Paul Solet; and BREAKTHROUGH, for Fox 2000 to be released in 2019. Mayne Berke

Production Designer Mayne Berke’s credits as a production designer include: S.W.A.T., directed by Clark Johnson, starring Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson; THE PRINCESS DIARIES, directed by Garry Marshall, starring Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway; ROCK STAR directed by Stephen Herek, starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston; 15 MINUTES, directed by John Herzfeld and starring Robert De Niro and Edward Burns; JACK FROST, directed by Troy Miller, starring Michael Keaton; and ROMY AND MICHELLE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, directed by David Mirkin, starring Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino. He also designed the acclaimed HBO original film Don King: Only in America, and the Clio Award-winning Levi’s Elevator Fantasy commercial, Directed by Michael Bay.

Diane Crooke Costume Designer Diane Crooke is a costume designer with extensive experience designing and supervising for film, television, print and web. Crooke’s interest in fashion developed around the age of 10 when her mother and grandmother taught her to sew. Crooke’s career took off when she got the job as costume supervisor for the for the first three seasons of the hit NBC series Friends. After that, she supervised multiple projects including six seasons of Crossing Jordan. As a designer Crooke spent five seasons designing for NBC’s popular dramatic TV Show Parenthood, before designing Scream for MTV. Recently Crooke worked on the Mow Treehouse for Blumhouse directed by James Roday. Crooke has jumped into the feature world, designing CHIPS and ALL STAR WEEKEND directed by Jamie Foxx.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The State of California and the California Film Commission

MPAA Certificate # 51621

Universal Studios is the author of this motion picture for purposes of the Berne Convention and all national laws giving effect thereto.

WHILE THIS PICTURE IS BASED UPON A TRUE STORY, SOME OF THE CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN COMPOSITED OR INVENTED, AND A NUMBER OF INCIDENTS FICTIONALIZED.

THIS MOTION PICTURE IS PROTECTED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER COUNTRIES. UNAUTHORIZED DUPLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR EXHIBITION MAY RESULT IN CIVIL LIABILITY AND CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

IN MEMORY OF BILLY GRAHAM

Unbroken: Path to Redemption: A Brief History of Louis Zamperini’s Journey published first on http://womenoffaith.com

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