So on Sunday night February 23rd, Ragamuffin, the biopic about the life of Rich Mullins, came to Peoria, Illinois via Riverside Community Church. About an hour before the screening began David Leo Schultz, the director and co-writer of the film, sat down with me for an interview. What I love about podcasts is that there are not necessarily time constraints; there is no pressure to rush through a conversation. Well, despite having only an hour before the movie started I think our time together was both relaxed and intense, as good conversations should be. I thoroughly enjoyed our talk together and was honored that he gave me his time.
As those who read this blog know, I have had some reservations surrounding the prospect of a film about Rich Mullins, but during the interview Schultz said something that I afterwards became totally convinced of, which is, if somebody else should have made a movie about Rich Mullins they would have done so by now. His heart and all that he had poured into this project shone through in the interview, and I know he was the right one for the job and that he made the film with the right intentions.
David milks it for the camera. See! We're recording a podcast!
Schultz (and one of his producers J.B. Waggoner who is on a parallel tour) has been darting back and forth across the country showing people the film. I could tell he was simultaneously invigorated and wearied, that he was enjoying every minute meeting people who have been impacted by Rich Mullins and yet he was lonely and missing home. I know he is doing all this because he wants a career in the arts, that he is trying to get some job security for himself—sure, that much is obvious—but really, I could tell that permeating everything he was doing, that the reason for his being in such an obscure town as Peoria, Illinois was that he wants people to know about Rich Mullins and to know the love of God (his brief talks before and after presenting the film also made this quite evident).
For these three reasons I hope everyone really listens in to this podcast and then thoroughly enjoys themselves. Anybody who loves Rich Mullins, Christian music, film, and the creative process should find the conversation fascinating.
You can stream or download this episode on our Soundcloud page:
To see if Ragamuffin is being screened near you visit their tour page:
http://ragamuffinthemovie.com/tour/
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