Film of the New Faith NO VACANCY Highlights The Struggle of One Church to Eliminate Homelessness
Ft. LEESBURG, Fla. (September 20, 2022) — Beginning on September 23rd, Kingstone Studios’ NO VACANCY will be available to watch on SalemNOW. The film, based on a real tale, is an uplifting drama for the entire family in which a cynical journalist gradually loses her cynicism while covering a story about a church’s struggle to buy a hotel for homeless families, and in the process she befriends an addict.
In its first day of release, Fathom Events’ NO VACANCY, starring Dean Cain (GOD’S NOT DEAD, “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”), T.C. Stallings (COURAGEOUS, WAR ROOM), and Sean Young (DUNE, BLADE RUNNER), ranked as the #3 highest per screen average and #10 total domestic box office.
Rob Ellis, General Manager of SalemNOW, expressed his company’s enthusiasm for bringing NO VACANCY into people’s homes nationwide. We have faith that this video will encourage viewers to make positive changes in their own lives and communities.
Screenwriter, producer, and preacher Art Ayris claims, “This motion film is pretty similar to the genuine facts.” In light of the widespread media coverage of the work our church has done to aid the homeless, we realized we had something special to share. Since our church is used to attempting the unachievable, we decided to produce a video.
The video provides a message to the Church about what is possible when you believe in God, even amid the harshest situations, and it does so by addressing homelessness and addiction head-on. The real-life First Baptist Leesburg, the church depicted in the film, did a lot more than just buy a motel for homeless families (now called the Samaritan Inn); they also constructed a medical clinic for the poor, which is now staffed by 50 doctors and 8 dentists, and which features a 16-bed addiction facility for women, a 30-bed addiction facility for men, a pregnancy resource center, and a free counseling center. Every week, they provide 15 tons of food to the hungry.
Although not every church is capable of this, Ayris insists that everyone can contribute something. We pray that people will realize what is possible when they put their faith in God despite the fact that the circumstances they face appear insurmountable via the lens of this true story’s cinematic depiction of their challenges and the miraculous outcomes that followed.
As part of their “Welcome to Hope” campaign, churches may show NO VACANCY and get supplementary materials including a Bible study and a tip sheet titled 101 Ways to Impact Your Community. Follow @novacancymovie on Twitter for updates and to learn more about upcoming screenings of the film, which can be found at https://novacancymovie.com/#events.
PROLOGUE TO THE MOVIE
Brandi Michaels, a journalist for the Orlando Sentinel, sees parallels between her own life and the economic and housing catastrophe that hit central Florida in 2007. Along with her impending divorce and her mother’s Alzheimer’s disease, her demotion from Orlando to a remote outpost shatters whatever hopes she had of becoming a journalist. Her cynical news persona is challenged, however, when Brandi is sent by her editor to cover a story about a church trying to buy a motel for homeless families during the Great Recession. There, she meets Cecil, a charming former drug addict, and witnesses firsthand the selfless and epic struggle of the church to care for the homeless in their community. Brandi’s redemptive journey begins as she covers the story and learns the backstories of everyone involved, including the church’s efforts to buy the hotel. She finally achieves the kind of journalistic influence she’s always wanted when her story wins an award and becomes a catalyst for aiding homeless families in other areas. True events surrounding First Baptist Church of Leesburg and its pastor, Cecil Johnson, and the fictional Good Samaritan Inn serve as the basis for this drama.
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