"Woodlawn" star Sherri Shepperd, who plays Mama Nathan in the film, believes that love and faith have the power to transform lives and bridge gaps.
The faith-based film tells the story of a football team that united in challenging racial discrimination. Shepperd loves the fact that the movie never fails to inspire people's faith in God.
"It's so missing, we're missing a lot of love and joy in the world and a great deal of faith," she said in an interview with The Gospel Herald.
Even though the movie is set in 1973, Shepperd said its theme is still relevant today since people are still fighting because of racial conflict. She hopes that people who watch the film will reflect on their actions and be encouraged to spread kindness.
"It just shows people that love and faith can change a community and change a world. The Jesus movement was real and it changed an entire generation," she said. "I think the truth is that we need love—the greatest of these is love, and that is truly, truly missing today. When you love your brother, you don't do a lot of the things that are being protested about today."
Shepperd is also optimistic that faith-based films will continuously do well in the box office since "Woodlawn" has raised the bar in terms of production and storytelling.
"A lot of times, people say, 'We don't have a lot of good Christian movies,'" she said. "In this film, the cinematography is excellent, the directing, the acting. I just hope that people will tell a few friends, and then they tell a few friends, because it's a movie that's truly life-changing. I think anybody that watches it will walk away going, 'Yes, yes!'"
"People are thirsty for movies about faith, they want to see it, I think they hunger for it," she added. "It was nice to able to do 'Woodlawn' and see how people were changed when they left that movie theatre."
