Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown are brilliant in the satirical comedy, HONK FOR JESUS. SAVE YOUR SOUL about the Church, faith, extreme abundance, sexuality, and more topics that often go unaddressed.
The film written and directed by Adamma Ebo, produced by Adanne Ebo and executive produced by Jordan’s Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions tells the story of Pastor Lee-Curtis [Sterling K. Brown] and Trinitie Childs [Regina Hall], his loyal wife and First Lady of a Southern Baptist megachurch. Together they once served a congregation in the tens of thousands but after an enormous scandal forces them to close down their church, the pair devise a plan to rebuild their congregation and make the biggest comeback that commodified religion has ever seen. Only they encounter several setbacks that might ruin their plan to reopen on one of the holiest days of the year, Easter Sunday. The film also stars Nicole Beharie, Austin Crute, Conphidance and Devere Rogers.
In celebration of the film’s upcoming release, the HONK FOR JESUS. SAVE YOUR SOUL entire cast and crew stepped out for the red-carpet premiere at Regal LA Live in Los Angeles, California. Other notable guests in attendance included Damson Idris, Kendrick Sampson, Brandon Perea, Essence Atkins, Elise Neal and many more. The screening commenced with a choir adorned in white robes that “took us to church” while performing a few gospel songs before ending with Beyonce’s “Church Girl.” Executive producer, Jordan Peele and producer Daniel Kaluuya introduced the cast while jokingly stating he should’ve stepped his game up for the Nope premiere. The inspiration behind the film was heavily based off the upbringing that the Ebo twins had growing up in Atlanta during what they believe to be the height of Southern Baptist megachurch culture. While the sisters are still strongly grateful for their connection to faith, they often found themselves questioning the state of organized religion and certain leaders at the helm. “There was so much about it that we really connected to like the music. But a lot of the time the messages felt pretty backward and archaic so we were constantly dealing with the actuality and then also the healing benefits of being a part of this community, while then also feeling quite frankly, like this community wasn’t here for us,” Adamma shared.
Nevertheless, the filmmakers caught the eye of many and was showcased during Issa Rae’s “Short Film Sundays” YouTube channel before growing mass attention at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. The raw, unique, and unfiltered perspective was exactly the narrative Monkeypaw Productions was looking for. Despite many of the cast and crew having strong faith and ties to religion, this was a topic that many felt was ready to be openly discussed and scrutinized. “I knew that some people would be sort of bothered, because they would say that the church is not something that should be dealt with or mocked or made fun of and I’m hoping that if it comes from an insider, someone that has a genuine affinity for the church and is saying that I think we can still look at it with a critical eye as in ways in which it can be improved then maybe that will help it be more readily digestible, “stated Brown.
HONK FOR JESUS. SAVE YOUR SOUL will be released in theaters and on Peacock September 2, 2022.
