What Would You Do If You Had 20 Minutes to Live? From Director Tim Chey
This question is the central thesis to ’20 Minutes’ a movie we just screened at Cannes.
We showed the film in front of German, French, Japanese, Chinese distributors in the packed screening.
I’m very blessed to be able to travel here to France and show the film. I think I’m the only one showing a faith-based film here.
We’ve been under such a ferocious attack from the Enemy — just strange things like a company that was to do our DCP (it’s a digital print to screen any film these days) refusing to ship out the DCP at the last minute to Singapore Airlines changing my reserved seat without explanation and moving me to a middle seat.
Strange weird unbelievable things. But I know God is behind this movie. “If God is for you, who can be against you?” (Romans 8:31). I’ve seen miraculous unimaginable things that shows me God is indeed for me on this film.
’20 Minutes’ is about an incoming ballistic missile to Hawaii that changes twelve people’s lives when they discover they have 20 minutes to live.
The characters in the film range from a conservative Republican and a liberal Democrat; atheist and Believer; and a Japanese billionaire and Native Hawaiian — all seeking refuge as the missile approaches.
So here’s the question again. “What if I had twenty minutes to live?”
We advertised the film full-page ads in the Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Screen International magazines and people from around the world were intrigued by the film.
I met a guy onboard a super-sized yacht at Cannes. He came to the screening and brought six of his friends. I warned him it was faith-based, but he still came. There’s a real hunger for things about God these days.
Our film, of course, comes on the heels of the ballistic missile warning in Hawaii in 2018 that caused many to panic and think of their eternal destiny. The false warning made worldwide news and graced the front pages of the BBC, Yahoo, CNN, Fox News, and 350 major news outlets.
My wife got the message early in the morning when I was still sleeping (I write late at night) and she calmly accepted the fact that it might be our last day on earth.
Life is very short. My friend John Singleton died of a stroke last month at 51. No one knows the day or hour.
I was a former atheist, but became a Believer later in life. I know how both sides think and both sides are represented here as they have twenty minutes to live.
As in the movie, it’s amazing as we approach death to see how insignificant politics and race become.
My prayer is all of you get a chance to see this incredible film. The film opens nationwide in theaters February 2020.
God bless all of you!
Short Bio:
Timothy Chey has produced/directed over 13 feature films including ‘Freedom’ (Cuba Gooding, Jr., William Sadler, Sharon Leal) that was shot on the Amistad and ‘David and Goliath’ filmed in North Africa and London. He also produced and directed Sony Pictures ‘Slamma Jamma’ (Michael Irvin, Chris Staples) that hit theaters nationwide in 2017.
“20 Minutes” movie
In Theaters February 2020
Twitter: https://twitter.com/20Minutes11
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/20MinutesMovie
Official Site: http://20MinutesMovie.com
