The film was directed by Alex Kendrick, who co-wrote its screenplay with his brother Stephen Kendrick. Kendrick also stars in the film, along with Ken Bevel, Kevin Downes, and former running-back Tony Stallings. About half of the cast and crew were volunteers from Sherwood Baptist Church, while the remainder were brought on through invitation-only auditions.

The film was produced with a budget of $2 million, but on its opening weekend it grossed $2 million in pre-sales alone and grossed $9.1 million total for the weekend. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics, but a rare A+ CinemaScore rating from filmgoers.

Plot ::
As the police force of Albany, Georgia, attempts to stop drug smuggling in the city, the sheriff urges his deputies to spend time with their families based on statistics that fatherless children are several times more likely than those with fathers to turn to lives of crime. Among his deputies are Adam Mitchell (Alex Kendrick), Nathan Hayes (Ken Bevel), Shane Fuller (Kevin Downes), and rookie David Thomson (Ben Davies). Mitchell adores his young daughter but is distanced from his teenage son. Hayes never knew his biological father but would risk his life to save his children; however, his teenage daughter Jade (Taylor Hutcherson), resents him because of the strict rules that he has set for her dating life. Fuller is divorced, as were his parents before him, and must share joint custody of his son. The group also befriends Javier Martinez (Robert Amaya), an immigrant struggling to provide for his family, and Mitchell arranges a job for him.

One day, Mitchell's daughter is killed by a drunk driver, devastating Mitchell and his family. After extensive research into the Bible over the next six weeks, Mitchell creates an elaborate "Resolution" to honor God in every aspect of his family; Mitchell, Hayes, Fuller, Thomson, and Martinez take the vow in a formal ceremony by Hayes's adoptive father. Mitchell rebuilds a relationship with his son and attains catharsis by slowly dancing at a site where he had previously refused to dance with his daughter. Hayes mends his relationship with his daughter and presents her with a purity ring that she is to wear until marriage; he also visits the grave of his biological father. Fuller improves his relationship with his son. Thomson, who is revealed to have fathered a child in college and deserted the child after the mother's refusal to have an abortion, contacts the mother and asks to have a relationship with his daughter. Meanwhile, Martinez's employer offers him a promotion on the condition that he reports false information regarding incoming crates. After Martinez refuses to be dishonest, his boss reveals that the request was a test of Martinez's integrity. Martinez is promoted and his financial problems are resolved.

Mitchell and Hayes discover that Fuller has been stealing drugs from the evidence room at the police station to sell on the street. Mitchell is forced to report the corruption, leading to Fuller's arrest and separating Fuller from his son. Mitchell later visits Fuller in jail, where Fuller takes responsibility for his actions and begs Mitchell to act as a father figure to his son.

Hayes and Thomson unknowingly confront the leader of the drug ring they have been eradicating, resulting in a gun battle. As the gang attempts to take a young girl hostage, Mitchell and other officers arrive as additional support. As the girl's father rescues her, Mitchell, Hayes, and Thomson subdue the gang members. One of the gang members is Derrick Freeman (David Howze), a teenager who Hayes had earlier prohibited from dating his daughter; Derrick attributes his decisions to his lack of a family.

At a Father's Day church service, the men present the resolution and Mitchell urges the fathers in the congregation to influence their families for God. Mitchell is shown running in a 5K race with his son and Fuller's son. Hayes is shown reading the Bible with an imprisoned Derrick. Thomson is shown meeting his daughter for the first time. The film ends with a portion of Joshua 24:15: "Choose today who you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Filming of Courageous began on April 26, 2010 and concluded on June 25, 2010. The majority of the film was shot in Albany and Dougherty County, Georgia area. Some scenes were shot in the Dougherty County Jail. More than 170 media outlets, such as Inside Edition, visited the set. The Duggar family from TLC's 19 Kids and Counting were extras during a father-son 5K race. Jim Bob Duggar and seven of his ten sons joined hundreds of other fathers and sons in filming the scene. Their involvement in the film was shown on 19 Kids and Counting in "Duggars go Hollywood". The Duggar daughters acted as extras in a funeral scene at Sherwood Baptist Church that involved several police officers in uniform.

In order to enhance the quality of the film, the production crew is using a new camera technology, "Red One", by the Red Digital Cinema Camera Company. Kendrick estimated the production budget would exceed $1 million — double that of Fireproof. The final budget has been reported at $2 million.

Rating ::
In December 2010, the Motion Picture Association of America rated the film PG-13 for "some violence and drug content". That rating was surrendered a few days later, but was later reinstated. Courageous is the first film by Sherwood Pictures to receive a PG-13 rating.

Promotion ::
The contemporary Christian band Casting Crowns released a song titled "Courageous" to promote the film with a video featuring scenes from it.

Tony Dungy, a Super Bowl-winning football coach, mentioned the film in an article he wrote about fatherhood for USA Today. He said, "As men, we could all take a lesson from [the fathers in Courageous] and ask ourselves, 'What can I do today to be a more involved dad?

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The Movie:
Four men, one calling: To serve and protect. When tragedy strikes home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith and their fathering. Protecting the streets is second nature. Raising their children in a God-honouring way? That's courageous.

The Music:
Featuring the title song written by Mark Hall and recorded by Casting Crowns as well as songs in the movie from Third Day, Brandon Heath, and Mark Harris this companion CD also includes other inspired songs like the #1 hits from Sanctus Real, and Third Day. The CD is a great way to relive the movie through a musical journey from some of Christian music's best artists.

Movie is in theatres September 30th, 2011

[CLICK HERE]

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Great music hinges on compelling writing, honest delivery, a refined, unique musical identity. Great leadership hinges on openness, compassion, devotion. Singer-songwriter and worship leader Matt Maher has built his career – his life – on striving to embody those ideals.

Matt Maher the songwriter cemented his respected reputation penning songs with Chris Tomlin, Michael W. Smith, Matt Redman, Passion (“Here For You”), Audrey Assad and Jars of Clay.

The heart of Matt Maher the worship leader has shown through clearly over years spent teaching, sharing and praying all over the world, including appearances at the Papal Rally in NYC, World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, and extensive touring over the past 5 years, with the likes of Michael W. Smith, Leeland, Phil Wickham, Jars of Clay, Third Day, Tenth Avenue North and Mercy Me, bringing him in front of more than three million people.

With the September 20 release of The Love in Between, Matt Maher the artist -- fully defined, fully formed -- steps fully into the foreground.

His third national release on Essential Records shows Maher finding his voice both sonically and lyrically, the rootsy pop aesthetic he introduced on 2010 hit “Hold Us Together” (from 2009’s Alive Again) flowing into a 12-song study of suffering, grace, redemption and hope.

Those ideas coalesce particularly in “Heaven and Earth,” The Love in Between track that inspired the album’s title.

The song contemplates “the distance between us and our humanity and God and his divinity,” Maher says. “There is only one thing that bridges that gap and essentially annihilates it, and that is Jesus. He is the love in between sin and freedom, death and life and hopelessness and hope.”

Maher’s focus grows out of that idea, centering less on distance and more on the bridging of it. The leadoff single “Turn Around,” which debuted at No. 28 on the NAC chart a week ahead of its add date, explores the ways in which Jesus embodied that broad embrace, anchored by the refrain, “If you’re lost and need to be found/ If you’re looking for a savior/ All you gotta do is turn around.”

“If you look back over history, specifically around the time Jesus was physically here in the flesh, humanity has struggled with pride, resulting in a subculture that, while having the best of intentions, ends up marginalizing the people who are most in need of God,” Maher says. “However, Jesus came offering a message of repentance for all who would be willing to receive it. Those on the outside and on the inside of the Church.”

The six-time GMA Dove Award nominee also recognizes that he’s a living example of the value in shedding boundaries, be they perceived or physical. Raised Catholic in Newfoundland, Canada, he was inspired to pen “Woke Up In America,” a personal and patriotic anthem on The Love in Between.

Maher shares, “The song is really about the story of the individual as an allegory for the story of a nation and its struggle to find freedom and identity.”

The Love in Between’s release comes during a time of many big new developments for Maher. The new husband and his wife Kristin welcomed their first son, Conor, in early August; in early September, he’ll launch the first in a series of headlining tours hosted by his newly formed organization Comm+Unity, which will support multiple local, national and international non-profit efforts.

Maher headlines the first jaunt, which kicks off in Texas and runs through to the West Coast (including a Gilbert, Ariz., album release show on September 20), with support from one sonic society (Jason Ingram, Stu G., Paul Mabury) and Integrity artist All Sons & Daughters (David Leonard, Leslie Jordan).

Throughout October, he’ll headline the newly launched, month-long, “Compassion International Presents: The Love In Between Tour,” a partnership with Compassion International and Christian radio featuring Laura Story and Essential Records newcomer Andy Cherry. To close out the year, Maher will join Mercy Me on the “Rock & Worship Road Show” before spending the Christmas and New Years holidays with his family in Arizona.

Not any of this has happened overnight. It’s taken four years of non-stop touring and several more focused on writing and recording, to yield four Top 200 CCLI songs over six years and more than 275,000 in sales of his independent and Essential Records titles to reach the clarity Maher has funneled into The Love in Between.

Mike Snider of Paradigm Talent Agency figures that’s built Maher not just into a marquee name, but one with staying power. He notes, “In addition to his sales and songwriting placements, Matt has stepped to the plate as a hard-ticket-selling, headlining artist, who is going to help shape and re-define touring as we know it.”

Matt Kees, Director of the Christian Musician Summit, concurs. “Matt Maher is a great fit for us at the Christian Musician Summit – he has the ability to reach people on a variety of levels at our conferences and we’re excited to see how he’s made the steady climb into an impactful and enduring artist who people want to see. Not only is Matt a well-trained and accomplished keyboardist and guitarist, he is a top-notch songwriter, and a well respected lead worshiper with years and years of ministry experience. Matt can teach, perform and relate to Christian musicians and fans.”

Maher, always ready to share the music and the Gospel offers, “At the end of the day, I’m just thankful to be in a place where I get to share the music I was inspired to write. It’s been a great road and I’m looking forward to sharing the songs from The Love In Between with friends and fans everywhere.......


Tracklisting ::

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