"Do You Exist?"

You may have heard me talk about Blue Like Jazz or my love of Donald Miller. Some of you have seen my Facebook change appearance with BLJ posters and profile pictures, but that is not to seem to hip or cool but to get the word out there about this amazing movie. 

I have seen two advanced movie screenings of this movie and I was deeply moved both times. This movie tells the profound story of forgiveness, acceptance, fitting in, and finding yourself in God's universe. This is a unique tale that deals with Christian themes without being cheesy, over-emotional, or overly sentimental. It appeals to an intellectual audience of Christians and non-Christians alike. It allows to question and ponder our place in the universe. 

But this weekend is make or break for this movie. This is not the Hunger Games that has probably a billion dollar advertising campaign. If this movie doesn't do well at the box office opening weekend, then it may be pulled from Theaters. Blue Like Jazz's ad campaign is largely told through people - people who are passionate about God's plan for this movie to reach more people than ever. 

How can I help? Yes, great question. Start by telling your friends. Buy tickets for opening weekend. Take friends with you. Bring your non-Christian friends and start discussions with them afterwards. Whatever it takes, gets the word out to se this movie. I will be seeing it on Sunday in Burbank, if you want to join me. And if you can't afford a ticket - I will buy one for you, that's how much I want to see this movie go beyond just one great weekend. Will you be a part of this story? 

And here is a copy of the email the producer, Steve, sent to the Blue Like Jazz Street Team for more info

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Do You Exist? I love our distributor, Roadside Attractions.  They've released Oscar nominated films like Winter's Bone, Margin Call and Biutiful. They were the first distributor we screened for, they've got a reputation for both honesty and good taste, and they're genuine fans of Blue Like Jazz. But at our L.A. screening last week at the Pasadena Arclight, the co-president of our distributor made a telling comment afterwards—something to the effect of, "Wow, Steve. I have to admit I was a bit surprised at the crowd. This was a youthful-looking, hip audience with intelligent questions during the Q&A. This is a lot like the audience for our other movies." While I appreciated his candor, it underscored both the joy and frustration of bringing "Blue Like Jazz" to the screen. We've been trying to tell people for six years that you exist. That there's an audience for an intelligent, well-crafted movie made by Christians that takes issues of faith seriously. No, we are by no means the first. But neither is it overstating the case to say that this weekend, April 13th, is a defining moment, as the success or failure of Blue LIke Jazz at the box office can determine for years to come whether or not like-minded projects get funded. I have friends in Hollywood who love the movie. But they're trying to prep me for disappointment. Our PR team has done a superb job. But they can't get coverage from key press outlets, because the national press simply doesn't believe Blue Like Jazz will register more than a blip at the box office. And then, of course, there's the Christian Movie Establsihment, who may well be literally praying that you don't exist. Do you exist? We know we've got a record-breaking 4500 Kickstarter backers. We know we've got a record-breaking 1500 Civil Disobedience Street Teamers. We know we've had full houses at sneak previews from coast to coast. But can we sell tickets this weekend - the weekend of April 13th? We've had an historic series of events leading up to this moment. But there's only one way to finish this story. This is the week we need all our friends to join us in a nationwide "get out the vote" campaign. The theater list will be finalized today. (We'll be expanding to other cities the following weekend.) Fandango will be selling advance tickets on either Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on the theater chain). And we need you to use all your communication tools to help Blue Like Jazz have an historic opening weekend at the box office. These are exciting days as we count down to Friday. More to come... Steve