Christine, a young attorney on the brink of death, finds herself at the gates of heaven and hell. Having summarily received a sentence to hell, she demands an appeal. This sets her on a path of spiritual discovery, shepherded by three strangely familiar characters.
In post-production now
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Starring: Kelly Warren
Co-starring: Michael Manfred
Co-starring: Jesse DeLozier
Co-starring: Austin Greene
Written & Directed by: Steven C. Shaffer
Based on the stage play Judgment (1995)
Director of Photography: Jason Bohn
Art director: Valerie Shaffer
Hair & makeup: Elizabeth Teaman
Continuity / Script supervisor: Colleen Shaffer
Camera Operator: Jason Bohn
Audio Recordist: John Miller
Lighting gaffer: Patrick Adachi
AC/grip/PA (swing) Brett Andrews
Tech crew coordinator: Maryann Bohn
About the lead actress: Kelly Warren is a stage and film actor local to York, Pennsylvania. She is very excited to play the role of Christine in the short film, Appealing. The part reveals an intriguing perspective on a near death experience for the character. Kelly’s roots in acting started on the stage in high school. She has now appeared in several short films selected for national and international film festivals. She has also appeared in local, regional and national commercials.
About the writer/director: Steven C. Shaffer is on the faculty of Penn State University and has been researching and writing his entire life. His play Judgment had over thirty productions in the 1990s; this film is his updated and enhanced version of that play, brought to the screen in order to finally crystalize his vision of the story. This is Steve’s first foray into film directing, but he was lucky enough to be able to bring together an excellent cast and technical crew that brought their own magic to the production.
Director’s Statement: This short film is the culmination of over half a century of researching and writing on the subjects of philosophy and religion. We live in a time when people dismiss the words “God” and “religion” but embrace “spirituality” — not realizing that these are the same thing. Centuries of misinformation and inter-denominational infighting have distorted and obscured the fundamental truths that originally drove the spread of the message throughout the world. These truths were nurtured and passed on by saints, mystics, and so-called heretics — often at great personal cost. Every idea in this film has been said before, by people more illustrious than me; but I’ve tried to combine them all into this one small package. Even if you don’t subscribe to the worldview presented in this film, it can be viewed as a subconscious experience in the mind of the main character. My hope for this film is that it will be entertaining for all, thought-provoking for some, and inspiring for a few.
