A producer of the short film “Crescendo” hopes to impact viewers in America today, Brazil tomorrow and across Africa “100 years from now” with its a message of the value of life and the dignity of motherhood.
Jason Scott Jones told WND he and his colleagues had in mind the great cathedrals of Europe, whose simple existence speaks to the faith of the generations that built them, when they envisioned the film’s impact.
“Our goal with this film was to create a monument to the incomparable dignity of the human person that would transcend time and culture,” he said.
“Crescendo,” which already has won 15 international film festival awards, is being made available for a time for free viewing on YouTube.
Just under 13 minutes long, it’s a poignant portrait of Maria Magdalena Beethoven, the mother of 19th-century composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
The project was very personal for crew members, Jones told WND.
He was just 17 when his pregnant girlfriend’s father, who discovered her secret when she tried to get prescription vitamins, forced her to abort her baby girl. “Crescendo” is dedicated to “Jessica Jones,” who would have been 23 at the time of the film’s release.
The executive producer is Pattie Mallette, the mother of pop singer Justin Bieber, who gave birth to him at age 18 after her friends urged her to get an abortion.
Also producing was Eduardo Verastegui, whose other works include “Bella.”
View the movie online now, or visit the WND Superstore for your own copy of “Crescendo.”
The movie already has been used, during its limited theatrical release, to raise an estimated $6 million for crisis pregnancy centers. Jones told WND plans are under way to raise another $4 million.
But the film’s impact still hasn’t been calculated.
“This is the most powerful pro-life movie of its kind. It’s a life-changer for many people – even those who consider themselves ‘pro-choice.’ And a significant percentage of every purchase goes to aid crisis-pregnancy centers around the U.S.,” said Joseph Farah, WND’s co-founder and CEO.
Mallette called “Crescendo” a” celebration of the strength, beauty, fortitude and dignity of women.”
Jones said the team went looking for a project that would “communicate the comparable beauty and dignity of a child in the world.”
“We wanted to do it in a way that transcended cultures and time,” he said.
He said the project is working with several hundred pregnancy centers, under different networks and organizations to give women the support they need “to make the choice for the life of the child.”
Alveda King, pastoral associate of Priests for Life, said, “Crescendo touches the heart and soul of life’s bittersweet song with a powerful promise that if the notes are left in God’s hand, He will create a masterpiece.”
And Ted Baehr, founder and publisher of Movieguide, said, “Crescendo is a beautiful, powerful, transformational short movie that reveals an important deeper truth.”
View the movie online now, or visit the WND Superstore for your own copy of “Crescendo.”
See the trailer here:
[jwplayer u0OXRBCk]
