THE MOST RELUCTANT CONVERT:
THE UNTOLD STORY OF C.S. LEWIS
NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON PRIME.
FOLLOWING $3MM BOX OFFICE – FELLOWSHIP FOR PERFORMING ARTS ANNOUNCES CONTINUED
ROLLOUT OF FILM TO HOME ENTERTAINMENT, HITS #4 SPOT ON APPLE INDEPENDENT FILM CHART
New York, NY – Following a limited theatrical release that garnered over $3MM in box office sales, The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis continues to roll out on DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming via home entertainment platforms. After achieving the #4 spot on the Apple TV Independent Film charts and #12 on the Amazon DVD sales chart, the film is now launching on Amazon Prime Streaming.
Critics continue to rave about the film, including:
“The Most Reluctant Convert is one of the best films of the year.” – Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
“A must-see for C.S. Lewis buffs,” – Chris Carpenter, Crossmap
“Watching this film is like hanging out with C.S. Lewis for two hours. If we were only so lucky…Bravo!” – Doug Van Pelt, HM Magazine
“Masterfully and beautifully made,” – Tina Griffin, Counter Culture Mom
Originally set to release as a one-night-only event, the independent film project found energetic support from ticket-buyers eager to experience The Most Reluctant Convert on the big screen. This allowed the project to stay in theaters a full month past the initial release date, and earned over $3M at the box office.
Created by Fellowship for Performing Arts (FPA) and directed and written by two-time Emmy and BAFTA winner Norman Stone (SHADOWLANDS), the film brings to life the spiritual evolution of one of the 20th century’s sharpest minds and keenest wits.
In The Most Reluctant Convert, an elder C.S. Lewis looks back on his remarkable journey from hard-boiled atheist to becoming as he said, “the most reluctant convert in all England.” The film features McLean as the older Lewis and Nicholas Ralph, breakout star of PBS Masterpiece’s All Creatures Great and Small, as the younger Lewis. Beautifully filmed in and around Oxford, this engaging biopic follows the journey of the creator of The Chronicles of Narnia from the tragic death of his mother when he was just nine years old, through his strained relationship with his father, to the nightmare of the trenches of World War I, to Oxford University, where friends like J.R.R. Tolkien challenged his unbelief.
The film is based on the hit stage play C.S. Lewis on Stage: The Most Reluctant Convert, adapted by and starring Max McLean (Mark’s Gospel – Jeff Award, The Screwtape Letters). Before the pandemic, it had been performed 287 times in 64 cities since its 2016 premiere. With extended runs in New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., The Most Reluctant Convert has been seen by more than 100,000 people. The play and the film are based primarily on Lewis’ memoir, Surprised by Joy, which is licensed from The C.S. Lewis Company.
The film is produced by Fellowship for Performing Arts in association with 1A Productions.
Founded by award-winning actor Max McLean, FPA is a not-for-profit, New York City-based production company producing theatre and film from a Christian worldview to engage a diverse audience. FPA’s productions include the international hit The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis on Stage: The Most Reluctant Convert, Martin Luther on Trial, Mark’s Gospel, Genesis, Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons, the first New York revival of the Tony-nominated play Shadowlands, and the world premiere of Tom Dullack’s updated retelling of Paradise Lost. FPA also produced the Audie nominated The Listener’s Bible. FPA selects works from great authors and themes that articulate the Christian worldview in a way that is imaginative, multi-layered and relatable to audiences from diverse faith perspectives.
Since 1992, 1A Productions has been headed up by the double BAFTA and EMMY Award winner Norman Stone (Shadowlands, Man Dancin’, Miss Marple). Over the years, 1A has gained a reputation for high-quality and inventive productions, as well as garnering many international awards and much acclaim. 1A has also worked with many of the finest names in the acting and filmmaking worlds, creating a slate of films and programming that run from top-class television dramas, series and documentaries, to music videos and big screen movies.