ZIFF26 Bringing Scripts to Life
Discover the essence of storytelling at ZIFF26. Watch as talented actors bring characters to life, feel the vibrant energy of collaboration, and immerse yourself in the creative journey. Be a part of this inspiring experience and join us for an unforgettable reading!
Join screenwriter Ducon Williams along with selected actors and take part as an observer as they read, THE WITNESS Episode 1 - The Smiths.
Wednesday, February 25th
2:00 -3:50 PM
Screenwriters:Ducon Williams and Nate Brown
Script Consultant: Jon Cooper
Live Music: Russ Whitelock
Readers:
John Donovan Wilson
Shawn Stevens
Larissa Bryce
Mary Hailstone
Harper Anderson
Ashley Coles
Logan Rogan
Steve Cypert
Jackson Eastmond
Graham Northrup
Jessie McCloskey
Kevin Paulson
Ozzie Cypert
Carson Belnap
Nate Brown
Logline:
Teenage Joseph Smith and his family juggle mysterious visions from heaven, while dealing with religious and social upheaval in 1820's rural New York.
Synopsis:
Joseph Smith claims to have seen both Jesus Christ and His Father at the same time, as separate personages. Local Presbyterians and Methodists grow more and more concerned with this claim, as it disputes their Trinitarian doctrine.
Joseph struggles to know what to do with his experience and seeks to understand what God would have him do. With the support of his family, and especially his brother Alvin, Joseph goes forward to accomplish a work an angel has given him, due to a second vision. His brother, Hyrum, has relationship issues with Jerusha, who's father is opposed to Joseph's claim, and therefore suspicious of the Smith family as a whole. Hyrum, along with his mother Lucy, sister Sophronia, and brother Samuel are members of the Presbyterian church. However, their belief in Joseph's claimed vision is a concern to Presbyterian pastor Jesse Townsend, who believes that if Joseph and Alvin don't get baptized, they'll burn for all eternity in hell. He pressures Sophronia to convince Joseph and Alvin to get baptized.
Joseph discovers a set of historical plates buried in the earth, with a claim that he will one day translate them into a scriptural book He's told not to get them yet, nor to show them to anyone, so the Smith family must decide if they believe his story alone. Joseph Smith SR feels his family tearing apart, and with the help of his wife, Lucy, they must decide where they stand, so they can lead their family in a time of religious upheaval. All this, while struggling to make land payments, there are others who see a way to get rid of the Smiths from the area, and thereby maintain their belief that "there are no such thing as visions and revelations; all that ceased with the apostles." Things grow even more difficult when Joseph's best support, Alvin, grows deathly sick.
ZIFF26 Bringing Scripts to Life
Discover the essence of storytelling at ZIFF26. Watch as talented actors bring characters to life, feel the vibrant energy of collaboration, and immerse yourself in the creative journey. Be a part of this inspiring experience and join us for an unforgettable reading!
Join screenwriter Ducon Williams along with selected actors and take part as an observer as they read, THE WITNESS Episode 1 - The Smiths.
Wednesday, February 25th
2:00 -3:50 PM
Screenwriters:Ducon Williams and Nate Brown
Script Consultant: Jon Cooper
Live Music: Russ Whitelock
Readers:
John Donovan Wilson
Shawn Stevens
Larissa Bryce
Mary Hailstone
Harper Anderson
Ashley Coles
Logan Rogan
Steve Cypert
Jackson Eastmond
Graham Northrup
Jessie McCloskey
Kevin Paulson
Ozzie Cypert
Carson Belnap
Nate Brown
Logline:
Teenage Joseph Smith and his family juggle mysterious visions from heaven, while dealing with religious and social upheaval in 1820's rural New York.
Synopsis:
Joseph Smith claims to have seen both Jesus Christ and His Father at the same time, as separate personages. Local Presbyterians and Methodists grow more and more concerned with this claim, as it disputes their Trinitarian doctrine.
Joseph struggles to know what to do with his experience and seeks to understand what God would have him do. With the support of his family, and especially his brother Alvin, Joseph goes forward to accomplish a work an angel has given him, due to a second vision. His brother, Hyrum, has relationship issues with Jerusha, who's father is opposed to Joseph's claim, and therefore suspicious of the Smith family as a whole. Hyrum, along with his mother Lucy, sister Sophronia, and brother Samuel are members of the Presbyterian church. However, their belief in Joseph's claimed vision is a concern to Presbyterian pastor Jesse Townsend, who believes that if Joseph and Alvin don't get baptized, they'll burn for all eternity in hell. He pressures Sophronia to convince Joseph and Alvin to get baptized.
Joseph discovers a set of historical plates buried in the earth, with a claim that he will one day translate them into a scriptural book He's told not to get them yet, nor to show them to anyone, so the Smith family must decide if they believe his story alone. Joseph Smith SR feels his family tearing apart, and with the help of his wife, Lucy, they must decide where they stand, so they can lead their family in a time of religious upheaval. All this, while struggling to make land payments, there are others who see a way to get rid of the Smiths from the area, and thereby maintain their belief that "there are no such thing as visions and revelations; all that ceased with the apostles." Things grow even more difficult when Joseph's best support, Alvin, grows deathly sick.
