Can the Holy Spirit direct a movie? In this fast-paced documentary from the director of Finger of God, Furious Love and Father of Lights, Darren Wilson sets out to make a movie that is completely led by the Holy Spirit. No plan, no script, no safety net – just go wherever he feels the Spirit leading him to try and discover the adventure God has for him. Whether its the riches of Monte Carlo, a heavy metal concert, or the oldest city in the world, the result is a film that not only challenges and excites, but also reveals a God who is far more alive and active than you ever imagined.
Holy Ghost features four main adventures in Salt Lake City, Monte Carlo, India and a Korn Concert.
While we understand that the more modern term for the third member of the Trinity is typically “Holy Spirit”, Darren did not want to use that title for a few reasons. He did want to keep the name of the Holy Spirit front and center in the title so no one would have any question as to what the film was about, but chose to go with “Holy Ghost” in large part due to the overall point of the film.
Early on in the film Darren claims that his desire is to “make God famous.” He is simply stating that this film is looking to reclaim some of the reputation that has been tarnished regarding the Holy Spirit over the years. Holy Ghost is an older term, one associated with old time religion, tent revival meetings, and perhaps a more primitive view of God and grace. By making this the title, we want to put a new spin on an old concept. Bring something fresh to something that, for many, seems outdated and archaic. In essence, it is a somewhat ironic title, and one with a fair amount of tension in it. But we believe that tension is a necessity of all great art, and therefore, Holy Ghost it is.
We believe that God is still speaking to and working through people in a variety of ways today. When Darren started this project, he knew he wanted it, as much as possible, to be “led by the Holy Spirit”. To that end, he prayed often, attempting to “hear” what the Holy Spirit was saying to him: where to go, what to do, sometimes even how to film. Sometimes he heard a still, small voice in his head; sometimes he and those around him had dreams directing them where to go; sometimes he would get a familiar feeling in his stomach that, in the past, always told him that God was on something.
So as much as possible, Darren tried to hear where the Holy Spirit wanted him to go film, and typically he and his crew would then show up there, having no idea what they were supposed to do. So Darren prayed some more, they would walk around talking and praying for people, and eventually it would become clear why they had been “led” there.
Even the editing process was guided by the Holy Spirit. Darren spends a lot of time in prayer during the editing process, dialoguing back and forth with God, getting or refining ideas. It’s not a magic trick, and we believe that God wants to partner with us on our creative projects, not simply tell us what to do all the time. He is interested in our ideas as well!
From start to finish, our goal has been to position ourselves in such a way that God, as much as possible, could lead and guide us through the entire process of making this film.
In Darren’s own words: “Growing up in a fairly traditional evangelical church and community, I always viewed the Holy Spirit as this almost unknowable, vapor-like being that I could never relate to. But if He is truly a Person of the Trinity, then it stands to reason that the Holy Spirit has a personality, and that is ultimately what I want to explore in this new film. Can we take away some of the mystery and honestly explore who He really is? Can we be honest that some of the church has wholly ignored Him, while some of the church has been somewhat abusive with Him? Can we cut through much of the misunderstanding and fear people have of the Holy Spirit, and learn to embrace Him no matter what might come out the other side? Can we learn to truly partner with the Holy Spirit in love, power, and grace for a world that is dying for something real? That’s what we’re going to try to accomplish with this film.”
Holy Ghost is now available on DVD and Digital Download.