Xavier Garcia is the visionary behind A Blood Throne, winner of the Best Short Film award at the 2019 Churches Making Movies Christian Film Festival. A Blood Throne is about a young prince in ancient Israel who witnesses the brutal murder of his eldest brothers at the hands of his own deranged father. Churches Making Movies is currently accepting submissions for its 2020 show to be held October 9-11th at Fellowship Deaconry Christian Retreat Center in Basking Ridge, N. J.
Q. What is your film background?
A. A man after God’s heart, I am a husband, father, son, and brother. Called to the world of screenwriting at the age of six, I would fill up notebooks upon notebooks of dynamic stories and characters that I always hoped would come to life one day. As soon as me and my brother received our first camera at a young age, this was made possible. Since then, we have been creating and executing stories together! I went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree from Colby College in Spanish Literature and Theater. My earliest production was seen on stage, but in recent years I have turned my focus to storytelling on screen. I am the co-founder of the award-winning production company Mount Harvest, alongside my brother. As the lead creative of “A Blood Throne,” I sought to present an emotive way to use cinematic parables in order to ignite self-discovery, spiritual reflection, and a personal call to action.
Q. As a Christian, how do you see yourself impacting the film industry?
A. Personally, I’m not sure that we fit the “Faith-Based” tag. We just love to tell the stories that resonate in our heart. And from the abundance of our heart, we speak. The more Christ-Centric your life, the more everything that comes out of you resembles his character and nature... in word and deed. Sometimes the stories we tell take an acute “faith-based” approach, precisely because of our Faith in Jesus; but most times they’re more like parables. They’re powerful voyages through motion picture that unpack themes, ideas, revelations, resolutions, raise social awareness, etc. We just tell the story and gift it to the audience for their unwrapping. I guess, in a nutshell, we're just here to tell good stories.
Q. What was the biggest challenge you overcame to make your film?
A. Hahaha... Budget! Isn't that everyone's answer in the independent film world?
But on a more spiritual note; the life of King Herod was a really dark one. And bringing that onto a set required a ton of intercessory prayer as you can imagine. I'm not sure that i would call this a challenge, as much as I would call it a commitment. Our greatest commitment was to pray, pray, pray, pray... and when we didn't know what to say, let the Holy Spirit intercede with groaning. As a result, we had several re-dedication's to Christ, as well as a Salvation and Baptism IMMEDIATELY following principal photography. God is good.
Q. Who are your biggest influences in film and why?
A. This is a tricky question. I'm a lover of story. For me, the medium of storytelling through motion picture (the industry at large) is a major influencer. I'm more so impressed by the power that storytelling holds. It shapes culture, it brings people together, it informs the masses, it prepares hearts for the times and the seasons, it helps us escape, and introduces us to new ideas. That, in of itself, is a major influencer and driving force for me. And when you look at it, from that perspective; there's no greater influencer via the means of storytelling (parables), than Jesus the Christ. Therefore, making Him my biggest influence!
Q. What is the funniest or weirdest thing that has ever happened to you on set?
A. We run a fun set. Everyone is constantly laughing.
Q. What is your favorite Bible verse? And how does this influence your filmmaking?
A. "For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." ROMANS 5:7-8 EVS
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