Finalized Project Description

The Tar Heel Apostle

            We will follow the campaign currently in progress to have Father Thomas Frederick Price, a Wilmington priest, declared a Roman Catholic Saint. We will interview a specialist on Father Price in Mt. Olive, NC, Father Robert Kus of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, and Paul Townend of St. Mark’s, in order to understand why Father Price is worthy for sainthood as well as the process and qualifications thereof. While examining the sainthood process, we will explore what it means to be a saint, who is worthy of the title, and what a person and his/her supporters gain from sainthood. We hope to encourage people to consider what role religion plays in modern times.

            While many films about religion are serious and formal, we’d like ours to be lighthearted but respectful. By discussing the subject of Catholicism in this manner, we hope to make an enlightening and approachable documentary. Also, we want the film to be smooth and professional looking which means no handheld shots, no vox pops, and the film can’t look gritty.

            While the most obvious target audience is Catholics who are interested in different aspects of Catholicism, our intent is to make an informative documentary for non-Catholics. Therefore the film appeals to both religious and secular filmgoers. It’s also appealing to North Carolinians or anyone interested in American history.

            We will seek out funding from different church groups or Christian filmmaking societies that would enjoy financing this film. The film will be distributed through film festivals in North Carolina, though we believe the film has the potential to be picked up by film festivals throughout the US.