Update on the "R" rating of "The Reliant"
by the MPAA
From Dr. Johnston's presentation before the Appeals Board of the MPAA:

"Section 3C3 of the Classification and Rating Rules states, 'There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic AND extreme, OR persistent violence.'

“'The Reliant' admittedly was realistic, but NOT realistic AND extreme. And certainly not persistent. In the 116 minutes of the movie, the scenes of violence mentioned above comprise a total of 6 minutes. That’s not 1/20th of the total film. That’s certainly not persistent by any stretch of the imagination..." 
In October, the MPAA unbelievably gave "The Reliant" an "R" rating. We appealed.

Last week the Writer & Producer of "The Reliant" Dr. Johnston flew to L.A. with his son Daniel and viewed the movie with the Appeals Board of the MPAA. Then they moved to the board room, which he was told by one board member was more packed than he'd ever seen it, and Dr. Johnston gave a presentation that included mention of 16 recent PG-13 movies that were more violent than "The Reliant." He cited the MPAA's rules to show that "unless there is a double standard, 'The Reliant' should be PG-13 by the rules and by precedent. A fellow filmmaker who screened the film for us said this when he learned of our 'R' rating: 'That's laughable!'"

Unfortunately, the Appeals Board reaffirmed the MPAA's "R" rating.

After praying and discussing with our distributor what we should do, we have decided to make some modifications and reduce the VFX (visual special effects) of added blood in some of the violent scenes. We will re-submit the new version to the MPAA within a few weeks, hoping and praying for a PG-13 this time.

Thanks to the generosity of our fans on social media, we raised enough money in November and December to pay for this unexpected and unbudgeted expense. (Barely.) Thank you all so much for your generosity!
If you would like to help defray some of the unexpected expenses of the editing, sound design, VFX work, and colorist work related to modifying the film to re-submit for a PG-13 rating, please visit our SHOP on our website and purchase a signed novel "The Reliant", a movie poster, or purchase tickets to the premier.
You can also give on our Paypal page . Thank you for your generosity in helping us spread our message of faith and hope in hard times. Thank you so much!
Cinema is arguably the most winsome way to impact our culture for truth. That's why almost a third of our funding came from those who appreciate the powerful affect this movie could have on the public perception of "the right to keep and bear arms." (Thank you, U.S. Concealed Carry Association !) Most of our other benefactors were hoping to impact the public with the powerful Gospel message of redemption and forgiveness found in our story.

Dr. Johnston, who has written ten Christian fiction novels, said, "I turned to screenwriting because most people simply don't read. To impact the culture for the Kingdom of God and for freedom, we've got to speak the language of the culture. Right now, that's cinema."

To all those who have given in our fundraising campaigns and our raffles, we thank you for your generosity and for your faith in our ambitious project. Many of you have given in our crowdfunding campaign as far back as 2016, when we filmed in Ohio. You're anxious to see it in theaters and get your DVD - regardless of the rating. We are anxious to show it to you, and we appreciate your patience and your prayers for a PG-13, as it gives us the best opportunity to maximize our impact.

Thank you.
"Riveting! Couldn't Put It Down!!"
From a 5-star reviewer on Amazon:

"Riveting! Awesome! Excellent! Absolutely LOVED this book!! Read it to my 4 teens and we couldn't put it down!! Highly recommend!"

To read what others are saying, check out other reviews on amazon .

Buy it on amazon, or purchase a signed copy on our website shop .