New biblical film His Only Son blows filmmaker David Helling’s mind with response
Heather Hamilton
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Filmmaker David Helling, the screenwriter and director of His Only Son, a biblical film set to hit theaters this spring, is already surprised at the reception of his new movie.
The film depicts the biblical account of Abraham and his son Isaac and has made history as the first nationwide theatrical release to be crowdfunded.
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“This is already blowing my mind,” Helling told the Washington Examiner, acknowledging the response from people who invested in the distribution of the project and helped it reach capacity within around four days.
The film is being distributed by Angel Studios, the same company behind The Chosen.
“We are responding to the demand from the audience by at least tripling the theater count nationwide and throwing our most valuable marketing resources behind the film,” Angel Studios CEO and co-founder Neal Harmon said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
Helling said he is excited to see how the public responds to the film once it hits theaters on March 31.
“I endeavor to answer the critics as well as the confused by exploring the meaning and purpose of God’s testing of Abraham when he asked him to do the unthinkable 4,000 years ago,” Helling said. “I look to shine a light on the plan the Lord had in place from the beginning, his promise of redemption, and the part Abraham’s walk of faith so boldly played.”
Helling served in the Marine Corps from 2005 through 2010 as a cryptologic linguist and was deployed in Iraq in 2009. He credits his enlistment with cultivating an appreciation for other cultures that affected his storytelling as a filmmaker.
“It was priming the pump, so to speak,” Helling said. “I’ve always been fascinated with history, and I’ve always loved history.”
Helling added that his deployment in Iraq was in the Al Anbar Province, near the edge of ancient Babylon, which sparked a desire to dive into a greater understanding of biblical narratives.
As he began working on His Only Son five years ago, Helling said his goal was to create “a true and inspired account of history” and point to “all the promises of God.”
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The film follows Lionsgate’s Jesus Revolution, which has shocked box office expectations.
“We’ve been in such a dark period of time in the world. We still are,” Helling said. “It does seem like people are being more aware of Christ in the moment, and you know, it’s not lost on the Lord. And so it makes me excited just to see what God’s going to do with His Only Son and the part that it’s going to play in whatever he’s doing right now in the hearts of people.”