| “Amazing Grace,” the well-known hymn written more than 250 years ago by pastor John Newton, has long stood as one of the world’s most beloved spiritual compositions. Estimates point to the hymn being sung upwards of 10 million times a year, and it has comforted countless people through life’s hardships and during times of celebration.
And to celebrate the songwriter’s 300th birthday, Haven Ministries and Kappa Studios released a one-of-a-kind docudrama, “Amazing Grace: The Untold Story,” adding to the stirring hymn’s lasting legacy.
Brad Silverman, chief content officer at Kappa Studios, shared that the project was different from others due to the power of the song’s history.
“It’s a rare story. I can literally think of very few where you just have to tell it and get out of the way. You don’t need to embellish it, you don’t need to do artistic license,” he shared with The Epoch Times.
Featuring notable stars such as “The Lord of the Rings” actor John Rhys-Davies, who plays an elder Newton, and experts who add context to Newton’s life and the life of the song, Silverman hopes those who watch the docudrama finish it with a renewed sense of hope and purpose.
“When someone finishes the movie, we want them to feel really good,” he said.
In 1748, while aboard a ship headed home to England, Newton and the crew experienced a storm so strong they wondered if they’d survive. Faced with the potential loss of the ship and his life, Newton began praying, marking a tipping point that would ultimately guide the Royal Navy seaman from slave trader to outspoken abolitionist and preacher.
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