Brent Dawes chatted about writing and directing the animated biblical film “David,” which will be released in theaters on December 19th via Angel Studios.
Dawes directed this new project alongside Phil Cunningham. Christian recording artist Phil Wickham voices David.
They synopsis is: From the songs of his mother’s heart to the whispers of a faithful God, David’s story begins in quiet devotion.
When a giant Goliath rises to terrorize a nation, a young shepherd armed with only a sling, a few stones, and unshakable faith steps forward.
Pursued by power and driven by purpose, his journey tests the limits of loyalty, love, and courage—culminating in a battle not just for a crown, but for the soul of a kingdom.
On making this film, Dawes exclaimed, “It was fantastic! I’ve worked with Phil Cunningham for 25 years, and Sunrise is his studio.”
“Phil came to me one day and said ‘Brent, I want to do ‘David’ as an animated feature film, do you think you can you do that?’ and I told him ‘yes.’ So, it wasn’t a personal inspiration; it was his idea, and it sort of landed, and I was able to go for it,” he elaborated.
Working with Phil Wickham
On working with Phil Wickham, he said, “It was amazing. Phil was so humble, genuine, and so excited about the project. He was like a kid in a candy store. This has been a dream of his since he was eight (to voice an animated character). It was out of his comfort zone because voice acting is a very different skill from music.”
“Phil Wickham came in with such humility, and a spirit of wanting to serve and to learn. I really enjoyed working with Phil,” he added.
Brent Dawes on Tim Tebow
On Tim Tebow, Dawes remarked, “While I didn’t work with Tim Tebow much, I know that he is a fantastic guy and he bought into the vision of the project. If Tim didn’t believe in it, he wouldn’t have attached his name to it.”
Working with Angel Studios
On working with Angel Studios, he said, “It has been great. We are so happy that it has come to this. Angel Studios really helped us get the project going with the crowd funding.”
“They set up that mechanism and it generated a lot of interest in the project. It feels right that they are distributing it because they helped to kick it off,” he added.
Lessons learned from this screenplay
On the lessons learned from this screenplay, Dawes reflected, “Life imitates art, and you often go through the challenges that your characters go through. I was going through a tough time in my life when I was writing it.”
“Like David in the wilderness, I was singing ‘Why God,’ where there is a lot of questioning but there is always the hope at the end of the song,” he noted.
“What I learned about myself is that I don’t know all the things that I know and that’s okay. In the movie, David sings this song as a duet with his mother Mary,” he added.
The digital age
On being a part of the digital age, Dawes said, It’s absolutely incredible, and it is also very scary at the same time. It’s a double-edged word. There is no other time in history that you can get a message out to people that easily and quickly.”
“At the same time, people can post comments, criticize, and they can steer the narrative so it’s like a roller coaster ride,” he added.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said with a sweet laugh, “What’s Next?”
Superpower of choice
Dawes listed “flight” as his superpower of choice. “I like the freedom to not be constrained to the earth,” he said. “Flying is always that superpower for me.”
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Dawes said, “Feeling content with what you have done, and feeling like you’ve given it your all, and that you’ve held nothing back.”
Message for viewers and fans
Dawes remarked, “Distinctly, I want people to get what they need out of it. When I wrote it and when Phil and I directed it, we wanted to have a message behind it.”
“You can fall into making it preachy, but we want it to resonate and speak to people. We don’t want to force them to hear something. We tried as best as we could to make it in a way where every person can get the message that they need from it,” he elaborated.
“We want people to be entertained, first and foremost. That’s why we are here. We are making a movie so come and have a great time,” he noted.
“At the very least, we hope they leave feeling entertained, and also, be inspired, whatever that means to you! That’s what I hope people get out of it,” he concluded.
To learn more about the forthcoming movie “David” check out its Instagram page.
