David Peterka is the producer of When the Saints, which documents one young man’s mission to end sexual exploitation in the African nation of Malawi, a journey that begins in his own heart. The program not only calls us to care about justice for girls trafficked in rural Africa, but also to examine the ways that lust, personal impurity, pornography, and distorted views about romantic friendships serve to feed the problem. The film is a thought-provoking and powerful tool to rally the saints with a call to greater purity.
1. What is your film background?
I took an intro to film making class in collage. A good friend of mine who is the producer of When the Saints taught me a lot. He started a production company called Speak Up Productions and I have worked on a couple of their jobs. Together we made our first documentary back in 2009 called “What Matters?” And largely for me it was a trial by fire when I learned so much back then that I still use today.
2. As a Christian, how do you see yourself impacting the film industry?
I primarily desire to contribute aspects of important truths to the film industry through “When the Saints”. There are two main beliefs we hold and that are represented in this film. First, the only true solution to seeing an end to sexual exploitation is found in the hearts of men being transformed. Second, each one of use has a role to play with our every day interactions with members of the opposite sex that can either promote a spirit of freedom or a spirit of enslavement depending on whether or not we are trying to find our identity and validation in them rather than our heavenly Father.
3. What was the biggest challenge you overcame to make your film?
For us the major challenge that we overcame in the process of making When the Saints was having to decide what content would be included or not and also how we would be able to make some of the complex issues we spoke about clear.
4. Who are your biggest influences in film and why?
The producer of this film, Dan Parris, has definitely had the biggest influence on my and the roles I have had in film. He pretty much taught me everything I know and has given me some amazing opportunities to be a part of.
5. What is the funniest or weirdest thing that has ever happened to you on set?
The weirdest thing that every happened on our set was while we were filming on “Devil’s Street”. We were speaking with some girls who were prostituting themselves and a very drunk man came right up to me as I was holding the camera. He kept making a bunch of noise and asking me all kinds of questions and I just kept asking him to please leave us alone. I had an itch on my back and when I scratched it he got really scarred and ran off cause he thought I was reaching for a gun!
1 John 3:16- 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. This is an important verse for me because it shows us that Jesus is the only reason why we know what love is. We do not just hold on to the comfort of our lives having now come to see this beautiful reality, but the verse also then invites us to lay down our own lives for others in the same way.