Step Forward in Faith with Cecilia Stevenson, Producer of Triumph of the Heart
Saint Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward to die in place of another Auschwitz prisoner. It is at this moment that the film Triumph of the Heart begins.
This week’s “mini retreat in a podcast” features Cecilia Stevenson, the producer of this Catholic film.
Hear how Cecilia’s "yes" to making this film has changed her.
Cecilia shares the challenges she faced during the production of the film, how she has developed a relationship with Our Blessed Mother, and how Saint Maximilian Kolbe’s life inspires her to live her faith more fully.
Listen and learn how you can also step forward in faith and live an abundant life for our Lord.
Watch Triumph of the Heart in a theater near you on September 12th, 2025. Learn more at www.triumphoftheheart.com.
Transcript:
Lindy Wynne (00:00.93)
Welcome to Mamas in Spirit, a podcast pointing you towards God in everything you are and everything you do. I'm Lindy Wynne and it's a blessing to be with you. Hello everyone and welcome to this mini retreat in a podcast. It is always a delight to get together as sisters and brothers in Christ to hopefully grow closer to the one who loves us most. And I am thrilled today to be here with Cecilia Stevenson.
who is the producer of Triumph of the Heart. Cecilia, thank you so much for joining us.
Cecilia (00:34.648)
Hi, yes, thank you so much for having me.
Lindy Wynne (00:37.282)
Well, and I was just talking with Cecilia about how on Mamas in Spirit, people share how God has converted their hearts and transformed their lives. And I love being able to dive into St. Maximilian Kolbe and your draw to produce this film and how it touched and moved and converted your heart. So we will get into that in just a minute after we open in prayer. In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Amen. Dearest Lord.
Thank you so much for blessing us with this moment together and to come together as your human family, as sisters and brothers in Christ. And Lord, we pray just to surrender our hearts to you, to surrender our very lives to you so that hopefully and prayerfully we do your will. I know that St. Maximilian Kobe had an equation and a hope that his will would be totally unified with your will because that meant
and that means that we are one with you Lord. So we pray for just that for every single one of us. In your name we pray, amen. In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, amen. So Cecilia, I know that you have a lot going on, especially right now. So thank you so much for being here. And I have to be honest with you, what really sparked my heart
to spend time with you specifically was when I read your bio. And it's a beautifully written bio. And it said that you have a passion for telling stories that explore faith, purpose, and sacrifice. And producing this film was the most challenging and meaningful of your life. So in Mamas in Spirit, we don't mess around Cecilia, right? Because the Lord calls us to be in him and
of him hopefully every single day. So I would just love for you to dive into your heart and your story and share with us why and why you were drawn to this.
Cecilia (02:41.54)
my gosh, absolutely. So, yeah, that is the question, right? Like why? So for me, since we're talking about me this time, the easiest way to jump into this, I've known Anthony D'Ambrosio, the writer director for, I don't even know, close to 10 years, actually. We've worked together on many, many projects. So the easy answer to this is when he reached out, it was an automatic yes. We actually made a short film about the same story back in 2017, 2018. And so...
Yeah, automatic yes. The deeper answer to this question, yeah, kind of like exactly like what you just said. love, yeah, I love what I do. So telling stories, making movies, before getting into narrative, I was doing just like corporate commercial stuff. And some of my favorite projects were the ones that were more like purpose mission driven, right? So a lot of the times that looked like making films or like the little short videos, right?
for nonprofits, for churches, young adult groups, all those sorts of kind of like mission oriented types of videos. And so if you look at the like entertainment side of like video production, the more like narrative, like actual like movies, right? If you just scrolling through whatever, there's many, many, many, many, many options. And the majority of them do not have any sort of, you know,
mission purpose, like they don't show virtues, like they don't celebrate virtues, right? A lot of times it's the opposite. This is nothing new. This has been happening for decades and decades. And there's a wave that maybe we can talk about later if you're interested in that or if your listeners would be, but there's a wave of that changing, like newer, good quality Christian Catholic movies coming out. And so for me, when Anthony came to me and said, hey, you know, I'm writing a feature length script,
for the, you know, the Max and William Colby story, the one that we did that short film on back in 2017. It's like, yeah, let's do it. And it was an automatic yes, not only because like, love working with Anthony. We've a great collaboration and all those things. Uh, but also because I, yeah, I just, love telling these types of stories that don't bring more just darkness and like, don't celebrate vice and, uh, just like stories that like, after you, after you watch it, you just, at least for me, I'm very sensitive to.
Cecilia (05:07.556)
to movies that like feel darker and like I can watch them and you know, my thing is if a movie is dark, at least there's got to be some sort of redemption, right? Like there has to be something like good that I can kind of like latch on to. So the like best part of or the just like that amplified right is a story about a saint, you know, and Max Winckleby, I'm sure we'll talk more about him but
I've, yeah, I've grown a ton in so many ways, including spiritually gotten to know him more, gotten to know, you know, a mother Mary more. It's just been a beautiful journey for many, many reasons, but yeah, the kind of easiest way to sum it up is I love telling stories that bring more light into the world. You know, there's a lot of darkness and yeah, this was a really great story to tell. I think that will bring a lot of light.
hopefully into people's lives.
Lindy Wynne (06:06.558)
Yes, and I think a lot of our listeners may know about St. Maximilian Kolbe either because they've just learned about him over time or because they've done the 33 Days to Morning Glory, which I'm not sure if you're familiar with that work or not, but it's a Marian consecration. And for me, one of the reasons, Cecilia, I was really looking forward to talking to you about St. Maximilian Kolbe too is because of all the saints that I've ever learned about.
There's something about him and my understanding is the film starts in this very moment. Like often in my lifetime, I think about the moment that he stepped forward and that he took the place of the other prisoner to die, to die. He gave the greatest sacrifice, the sacrifice of his life out of love for another. And before preparing,
to talk to you and when I say preparing like Cecilia, everybody here probably knows that's listen to Mama's in spirit. Like these are just Holy Spirit hopefully and prayerfully led conversations. Like there's not a plan because I want to be in God's will and I want it to be authentic and sincere of heart. And I don't want people to be distracted about saying like the right thing or having the right question or the right script or the things of the sort, but just to be totally sincere of heart about the draw to God and how God
Cecilia (07:12.036)
You
Lindy Wynne (07:29.986)
gives and blesses every provision and even in a situation like St. Maximilian Kolbe was in. And that word preparation kept coming to me when thinking about interviewing you because I was thinking about how he said yes in that moment, yet I think that he may have very well been prepared for many, many years leading up to that very moment. Like all of the prayer.
all of the reflection, all of the times that he turned his mind, his heart, his soul to the Lord for the infilling, the indwelling of the Lord. And also that transformation and that renewal of his mind, all of those things, the writings, the prayers, everything that he left behind and all the yeses that came before that yes. And obviously like this Mary in consecration I was talking about, that's because that's what he did. He consecrated his own heart and his own life and to Mary's fiat.
her yes, and in that moment, he gave the greatest yes. He gave his own life. And so I'm curious for you, like how his life has touched yours and really contemplating and producing this movie and your passion for it. Like, what is it about his life that speaks to you?
Cecilia (08:47.672)
That's a great question. I, yeah, exactly. Everything that you just said are, like, I have also been thinking about those same things, right? Like, what is it about the way that he lived his life that when he got to that moment in that lineup, that he had the courage to step forward and do what he did? You know, how, cause that's, I don't know. I thought about that moment and I think it's very convicting for Christians.
for it's a good, I guess it's a good mirror. I don't know. Maybe that's not the best analogy, but, what he did is a beautiful example of what it looks like to, be Christian, just kind of simply put, right? Like no greater love has a man that is laid on his life for his friends. and to see a modern day example of that, is, is inspiring, I think. And it, puts like a mirror right in front of us.
And we can say, oh my gosh, like, am I living my life in such a way, like all of the virtues I'm choosing to form in my life and to nurture? Am I, you know, the decisions I'm making, you am I frequenting the sacraments? Like all of these things, am I living my life in such a way that if I were given such an opportunity, what would I do, right? Like, would I have the courage? Would I have the, you know, the strength, the, like the docility?
docility to the spirit to step forward and you know like God willing none of us have to make that sort of a decision right like hopefully something like Auschwitz like never happens again but there are like little examples of that right like all kinds of little things that we can do to sacrifice to love our neighbor to love our family etc etc and so I have thought a lot about that thing that you're describing and gosh yeah
If I'm just like brutally honest with myself, I'm like, man, don't think, gosh, yeah, I don't think I could do what he did. And like, that's a really like sobering thought and a very humbling thought. And it's also like a dang, right? Like the bar is super high. But it should be inspiring at the same time, right? Like it should, at least for me, like I feel this like, dang it, I'm not like, I need to be better at being a Christian, right? And like, that's...
Cecilia (11:09.526)
Easy to say. But at the same time, I think it's very inspiring because like, well, he did do that. And he's just a man, just like me. And these are, and we show that human, that like human side of him, like in our film, that was really important to Anthony as the director to make sure that that came through in like the character and how he was portrayed, that he's not this like superhuman guy that is doing this thing that like no one else on earth could possibly do. like, no, he had flaws. Like he was a human being.
So anyway, that has had a big impact on me and just like inspiring me, calling me higher, convicting me, all these things. I've also been, you talk about the 33 days to morning glory. I haven't done that. I haven't done any sort of like Marian consecration, but I've always kind of like wrestled with Mary, not like doctrinally or anything like that, more so just, I guess I've wrestled with.
feeling convicted or called to have a relationship with her because I'm like, I don't know, I just haven't really been into it for one reason or another, not anything wrong with her, obviously. Just like for me personally, that's not how I've been, I guess, like called spiritually to, you know, live out the faith and like talk to the saints and all these things. Learning more about Maximilian Kolbe working on this film, Anthony, there's a lot of Mary in the movie and that's because there's a lot of Mary in Kolbe's life, right?
He had a huge devotion to Mary and one of his more well-known quotes that you know you see floating around on Instagram and on the internet whatever something to the effect of you can never love the Blessed Mother more than Jesus did and I'm not saying that exactly right but that that's the gist of it right and and that's kind of like stuck with me and and like seeing even just it's crazy like I've
You know, I read the script, I like did all of pre-production, I made the movie, all of these things and like Mary was there as a character in the movie the whole time. And I don't know, it's just like this beautiful, slow, I guess you could say like, she was just like creeping up on me slowly overall, all those viewings, all those, know, like making the call sheets and like, you know, there's the actress that plays Mary and there's the costume and whatever, all these things. And it kind of just slowly, I don't know, dawned on me in this,
Cecilia (13:28.32)
just like very beautiful, real spiritual way, I guess you could just like sunk in kind of a little deeper that like, wow, like, I don't know, maybe this is obvious for some Catholics, but for me, just, she became, I don't know, just more real and more approachable. And I guess I felt more drawn to like actually try and build a relationship with her. And that quote of like, you can never love Mary more than Jesus did.
It's like, yeah, that's super true, honestly. Like that's really true. So like, why not? know, why not just go for it? And so I have found myself, you know, praying the Rosary more and like praying to Mary more, asking for intercession more, and just like thinking about her differently than I had before working on this movie. Again, there was like nothing negative ever there, just more of like a apathy, dare I say. So anyway, I would say,
Anyhow, there's many other things I could probably talk about in terms of like my spiritual growth and how I've been impacted with learning about Colby working on this film. But those are kind of two that I can like easily point to is like growing my relationship with Mary. And then also just, yeah, just being inspired and convicted to like, be a better Christian. I don't know. Yeah.
Lindy Wynne (14:46.708)
I love what you're saying, Cecilia, and I love your authenticity. I love how you come as you are because that's how we're called, to come as we are. the, I wonder if it's gonna end up being the title of this, because I never planned that either. It's like stepping forward in faith. And you've been talking about being drawn to Mary or being drawn to Christ. And there's a beautiful scripture passage about how God draws us by grace to Christ. And that's what Mary does. Like Mary as,
the mother of Christ, the mother of God, she draws us to Christ. And it sounds like that's your experience. And I can't help but think for whatever reason that you originally said yes, like because of your relationship with Anthony, because of the work that you love doing, because this was a compelling story, like all those things, your yes, it sounds to me like God is pouring out on you abundantly. And that's what I found even in Mama's in Spirit. It was like one tiny,
little yes, and each tiny yes, it's like I get poured out on every time I record. Like even today, I was sitting with the morning glory and I was sitting with reflections about you and about St. Maximilian Kolbe and reading how, you know, St. Maximilian Kolbe really helped save Anthony, Anthony who you've been talking about, like his life. Like he was in a really like desolate, difficult place and it was the inspiration of this saint.
that helped to pull him out and inspire him, which is the love and inspiration ultimately of Christ, of the Holy Spirit of Christ. And so what I'm hearing in you is like that whisper. It's like you gave that original yes and that like God keeps drawing you closer and in new ways, which takes courage. And it takes courage, I think, in an open heart and to open the heart hopefully by the grace of God like time and time again so God can pour in. And I don't know why this is on my heart, but
The other day I was standing in my bathroom with our 10 year old and somehow our blessed mother came up and she said something my 10 year old about how like, I don't think she thought that Mary had feels. You know what I mean? Like that she wasn't fully human in a sense. And so I explained to her that in scripture, like even in the Annunciation, it says, at least in my translation, that Mary was disturbed. And I love that so much.
Lindy Wynne (17:10.434)
because she was fully human and she had all the feels, yet she said the most resounding human yes, the big F fiat. But yet you're talking about the yes, which I like to call the small F fiat that we all are called to make in our own lives. And Cecilia, I would actually like to give you a little bit more credit maybe that you gave yourself is like, I think you're doing a beautiful job of living out your faith. Like you're saying yes to the Lord.
right where you're at. And like, that's the call of the heart. It's not that our heart's gonna be where we think it should be. Like that is, that's so much like in the head and like, I don't believe like that of God, like those shoulds or should nots, those, guilt or shame that comes to all of us because it's like, well, I should be like this or I should be like St. Maximilian Colby or I should be like whoever or whoever I conjure up in my imagination. But the reality is, is that God loves us right where we're at.
right as we are without changing a thing. And he has the fullness of mercy and the fullness of truth, the fullness of everything good. And so I love your yes. And I love that you said yes to this film because to just to be honest with you, like sometimes, so I've been super blessed to interview people from different studios like Sony Affirm and Angel and whatnot. And
I've also interviewed people who have been in really, really difficult situations that don't do any of this kind of work in their life. People who've been trafficked or homeless or other things of the sort. People who've just gone through like, not just, but who've gone through really significant illness or addiction or trials or whatnot, because we're just called to be ourselves exactly where we are and to share God's light exactly where we are as we are. And Cecilia, if you were not making this movie,
no one else would be making it. Like if you were not making this film, no one else would be making it. And to me, like there's also scripture about like we're called to bring people together to unify and like not scatter, not divide. Like unifying people is of the Lord and is in God's will. And that's what you're doing. You are sharing with like a broader, wider audience to hopefully bring us all closer to the love of God.
Lindy Wynne (19:32.408)
closer to the love of Christ and none of us are Mary. None of us have a pure heart. Like we all are human and we all are wounded or grappled or struggling, hopefully being sanctified, which was at the heart of St. Maximilian Kolbe's works and his writings is this whole concept of his well-being and God's well. So I don't know if you have anything to say about all of that.
Cecilia (19:57.104)
Yeah, I mean, you're, you're, catching on to one of my, biggest, I guess, yeah, one of my biggest weaknesses is like, yeah, being too hard on myself. So, or that, like that coupled with should write that, that little word, like I should be this, I should be that. so yeah, I, I appreciate you affirming me, very much. And I totally, I totally agree right in my head.
It's the head heart connection where that message gets a little jumbled in terms of like the messages I tell myself. But I think you're absolutely right that and I don't think about that too often because I also on the flip side don't want to get a big head that like, this movie wouldn't be made if like I wasn't here making it. But if I do keep like my, you know, the healthy right kind of humility in check.
It's like, no, you're right. Yeah, this movie wouldn't be made if I was here making it. And so my yes does mean something. like it is there, like my little f fiat right? And I'll tell you, like it is, there was a lot of suffering and hardship that has been along this whole, like this whole journey. And so a lot of it goes unseen, right? And I'm not saying that to, you know, like toot my own horn or anything, but.
I don't know. Yeah, that I guess that is that is good to remember. Like, no, yeah, I am am saying yes to the Lord and I am like following his will. And in that I am being like Colby and Mary, you know, like they said yes when they were called. And like here I am saying yes when I am called. Certainly hasn't been easy. But like you said in your intro, it has been one of the most challenging and one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. So those things are both true.
Lindy Wynne (21:52.513)
Yes, and I'd love to know more about that because a memory is coming back to me. When I started Mamas in Spirit seven years ago, one of my precious wiser, so faithful, she does a daily rosary walk, Peggy Enriquez, I hope it's okay I said your last name, sister. She on her own accord, I don't even think I knew she was coming and I don't even know if I was home. She walked around my house and prayed for me and sprinkled holy water around the perimeter of my house.
And I was so deeply moved and touched by that. And I don't think I've ever shared that story before, but I think it was in her wisdom and her faithfulness and her love of me and her encouragement of my own small f fiat, my own yes, because there is always going to be trial. And oftentimes I've heard, you know, like when we go to give a resounding yes to the Lord, of course there's going to be trial. And I think when we read scripture,
there's trial all through scripture, whether it's the Old Testament or the New Testament. And so I think not that we should have expectations, like open-hearted and take the day as it comes and unfolds, hopefully in God's will. At the same time, suffering and joy is part of life. And so of course it is part of making a film like this. And so I'd to know what you meant by that when you wrote that or put that in your bio, because it's...
It's revelatory in a sense, and I'd love to just dig in a little bit deeper. What was a trial that you feel comfortable sharing, and how did God provide for you to move through the trial?
Cecilia (23:29.272)
my word, there are so many to choose from. I mean, yeah, if I'm just going to choose one and kind of talk more about it, I mean, guess most, yeah, most recently, I guess. this stage of the project that we're in, every stage of this project like has its own types of challenges and they all look a little different and know, God shows up in like different ways for each of them. But this one is more recent. So it's just kind of like fresh on my mind.
But this stage of the process that we're in, or project that we're in right now, right? The marketing and distribution phase. So the film is done, the film is beautiful. People have been seeing the film, people love the film. And it's like, that's really, really great. Like so, great. But getting it out to people is actually rather complicated and expensive and challenging in all of its own ways. So to kind of just, you know, peel back the curtain a little bit.
I mean, yeah, like the marketing side of things is expensive and difficult, right? We, mean, so a lot of these difficulties, I should say, come down to the fact that we are not a big studio with lots and lots of money, right? We're little indie filmmakers, we're a bunch of nobodies, we don't have any A-list actors, we don't have celebrity, know, blah, blah. Like there's no name, there's no like famous person tied or studio tied to our film.
And so that in this stage of the process presents many, problems, right? We have to raise money for marketing. have to work super hard to get people to know about us. And whether that's through advertising, like social ads, or trying to do PR, trying to spread the word, trying to do podcasts like these, all of those, we're...
Like we're doing it ourselves, right? Like we like have to hire our own team to like help us spread this word. And it's just, and it's just difficult. It's just inherently difficult to get people to like want to notice us on a large enough scale where it actually like kind of makes a difference. what I mean by that is like makes a difference in like, terms of like getting this film out to as many people as possible. Like I believe this film is like super special, but in order to get it out, so hopefully millions of people someday see this movie.
Cecilia (25:55.116)
It's really hard. And the other side, the other side, it's like, that's kind of like on the marketing side and that's really not my world. And I'm sure there's things I'm not, well, I guess I could say that one of the obstacles we're facing with that also is it's not enough to just tell people like, hey, we made a Catholic saint movie and then all the Catholics in America are gonna wanna go see it. There are many Catholic saint movies that have come before us.
And people are aware of those. Some of them have seen some of them and they've made all these judgments, right? Like we all do this. And there's a certain stereotype that people have when they hear about a Catholic movie or a saint movie or a Christian movie, faith based movie, you name it. People have like stereotypes and judgments in their heads based on what has come before us. And that can either for Catholics, they can have a skepticism of
Like, it's not going to actually be Catholic, right? Like they're either not going to mention God at all. There's going to be some sort of like scandalous thing in it. Or on the flip side, that's kind of like one category or on the other side, it's... I'm totally just lost my... Yeah, like the scandalous thing or it's cheesy, right? That's the other thing people think of. Like, it's just like low production quality, kind of bad, mediocre acting, know, not great storytelling and...
We're just supposed to go see it and support it because it's Catholic, right? So this is the audience that we want to woo and we want to come see the film. I believe they're going to love our film, but we have to convince them of that. So not only do we have to get the PR marketing support in terms of dollars, but we have to convince our audience. And that just takes time. It takes time and it takes money. And so we've been working at this.
for over a year, just like slowly doing screenings, trying to get endorsements, all of these things. And so there's a lot of challenges like on the marketing side, on the distribution side, there's the theater system, right? The theater system and the studio system that is not set up to make it easy for independent films to succeed. success in the box office is something also that a lot of Catholics don't understand.
Cecilia (28:08.036)
a lot of people forget about just like the Catholic audience, that's our main audience, but just people in general, like just don't know. And like, it's not their fault, right? Like I didn't know before I started making a movie, but now I know. And the studios and the theaters, they all get together and they just like exchange millions of dollars back and forth, right? And they're happy living in their little ecosystem of like studios and theaters, just making deals. And you know, it's great. It's great for them. But like when someone like us comes along and we're trying to like get into the theaters and we're trying to like,
get the movie on platforms so that people can buy a ticket and go and watch it, it's actually pretty challenging because we now have to convince the theaters and the exhibitors that control that public square, essentially, like, hey, our movie's good. People are gonna buy tickets to come and see it. So not only do we have to convince our audience that they should come and buy and buy a ticket to see it, we also have to convince the theaters, like, hey, people do actually wanna come and see our movie. So there's all of these convincing of all these different groups.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the difficulties. If you want to talk about personal difficulties, like the challenge, why does Ben challenging for me? So like all of this obviously just exists and that's just like the job quote unquote and like the job is difficult and like that's okay. Lots of jobs are difficult. But for me personally, this difficult part of the job.
is not just in a vacuum, right? It's not like I'm just signing on, you know, day one, it's like, now we got to market the movie and get it out there. Like this part of the job is coming after like two years, maybe a little bit less than two years, one to two years in a long time of other challenges and other hardship and other, you know, paving all kinds of trails and trying to make a movie for less than half a million dollars, not just any movie, but a period piece.
and not just any period piece, but we shot it in a foreign country. So, know, all like a year, two years of like all of these other things and challenges, what I'm trying to say is that I'm burnt out. That's really what this all comes down to. I'm burnt out. And at this stage in the process, like I wish I was more excited. You know, I wish I was like jumping up and down with joy and like telling people with this big old smile on my face that like, you know, the movie's coming.
Lindy Wynne (30:10.094)
You
Cecilia (30:26.648)
I don't know, I wish lots of things, right? That's not the reality. That's okay. Like it really is okay. But like here I am and my mindset right now literally is like, I just got to cross the finish line. Like I got to get to September 12th opening weekend and like just hold it together. know, like I have so many unanswered emails. I have so many unanswered texts. I have like so many things I have not done that I need to be doing. And then there's like, you know, the challenges of the day, right? Whether it's our US premiere, whether it's opening weekend, whether it's the militia buyouts we've been doing.
you know, whether it's just marketing in general or just, you know, whatever, so many things. Uh, and I've been doing this now for two years and it's just, uh, it's just a lot. Um, it's like, where does God come in? Right? Like, you know, what was me? Like, here's all the problems in my life. Well, God, um, uh, time and time again, throughout like all of the different challenges in this whole thing shows up in many ways. One of the most common ways that I have seen him show up.
in the process of making this film is in the people that he brings us, right? And that has been consistent, whether it's been our cast, whether it's been our crew, whether it's been benefactors and financial donors. And we had an anonymous donor recently, a very big donation. I won't say the amount, but a very, very, very big.
very generous donation, just like out of nowhere. He just like literally emailed us and said, you know, I'm going to give you guys this big donation. And Anthony and I were like, we don't deserve this. Like what on earth have we done to deserve your incredible generosity? people, just people God has been putting like our militia, like these people that are rallying their communities to raise money to get theater buyouts. There are like, I don't even know. I think we're going to have close to 400.
close to 400 screenings and each screening there's like, I don't know, about 80 or so people that have like bought, anyway, I don't get into all the details, but it's just like, and we have these people in like our Slack, I don't know if you're familiar, it's like just like an online messaging platform. And so we're kind of getting to know them a little bit. these people are just incredible, like, and they're all gifts from God and like.
Cecilia (32:38.284)
the people that we've been hiring, right? Like Anthony and I have all of these, you know, positions that we're trying to find the right person for the right role with the right skill set. And it's very, very hard. I know because I've tried to just hire for various jobs, right? And it's just really hard hiring people. You know, sometimes they say one thing and then another thing is actually the reality or they just misjudge or we missed, you know, whatever, right? Misaligned expectations. But yeah, this stage of the process, like God's just been dropping.
amazing contractors that we've been hiring to work with and just like total godsends. And I don't know, it's just like, I've been so blessed by the people and I know they are gifts from the Lord. There's not a doubt in my mind that God has been sending us these people to work with us, to help us get this movie across the finish line. And if I just take a moment and...
just kind of like reflect on that. Like this beautiful analogy just came to my mind. It's like Anthony and I have been pulling this like giant, I don't know, tugboat, like on land, right? Like we're pulling this just giant thing on land and it's just been me and him and a couple other people on our team. And we've been doing it for like two years. And there have been various people like coming, you know, like some production, some in production, post-production was very small team and very drawn out.
But there have been, you know, just people pulling us kind of in and out. And it feels like now at this stage in the process, Anthony and I have had many, conversations about this, that this film, this entire project, and I'm kind of going off on some tangents here. So hopefully this is all still good, but we've been talking about how this film has been a story from start to finish about the little guy and whether that's us as the little guy, whether that's everyone that's like,
jumped on this rope and were pulling the tugboat behind us. Just a bunch of little guys. And here we are at the finish line. And we've been trying to get institutional church support from just the big, I'm not gonna name any names, but just all the big Catholic media companies. We've been reaching out to them, trying to get their support, trying to get celebrities on board, trying to get big influencers.
Cecilia (34:56.418)
And we've had some luck with smaller influencers, right? Mostly on our Instagram game, our Instagram's doing really great. But there have not been any really, really big fish. I won't say any. We'll say there have been very few. Very few big fish that have come on board to just give us a lift up. Have seen the film, like, my gosh, you guys are amazing. I'm just gonna lift you up. We're gonna cross the finish line and I'm just gonna make all your problems. That hasn't happened.
And it's just, it's been consistently the little guys that have been showing up. And right now that really looks like our militia. And we're calling it the militia in honor of Colby's militia immaculata. And so we're just carrying that branding like into what we're doing now, right? In honor of him. And our militia is made up of hundreds of people all around the country.
a bunch of little guys, like these are a bunch of Catholic nobodies, know, obviously they're all beloved children in the eyes of the Lord and I love them all dearly because of what they're doing for us. And it's just incredible. But like the truth is these are just everyday Catholics, probably most of them, maybe some Protestants thrown in there. But most of them are just everyday Catholics who are just living their lives. They like saw our ad on Facebook or they heard about it from a friend and they like decided to, you know, take their own little leap of faith and jump on board. And yeah, I just...
feel so blessed by all of these little guys joining us. And right now it feels like there's an army of little guys and now we're all together like pulling on this rope across the finish line. And it's like, there's still some big hurdles in front of us. There's still some like really crazy things we got to figure out in order to actually get to opening weekend and hopefully have, you know, box office success. So the movie will then be, you know, propelled into the next stage of the process. But you ask about like, you know, the hardship and the challenge more specifically.
in this stage of the process, I kind of described what that looked like, right? And there's many challenges for me personally, like losing hope, finding burnout, and then all of the just marketing and distribution challenges, right? But the thing that gives me hope and the biggest, I think, dare I say, gift from God has been the people, like the little guys that God has been like putting on our team essentially. And it's just a beautiful, it's just a really, really beautiful, humbling thing.
Cecilia (37:17.38)
to witness and be a part of. And I very much feel like, again, who the heck am I that like hundreds of everyday Catholics around the country feel so inspired by what we're doing that they want to risk their reputation or risk whatever and like, know, risk $89 and like open a malicious screening and try and raise funds with their parish. It's just beautiful. It's beautiful things. That was a very long answer, but hopefully, hopefully answered the question.
Lindy Wynne (37:45.549)
love your answers, Cecilia, and I feel like we just took you, or you just took us on a journey, and I feel like you were transformed in your answer. Like you started with like the desolation and the difficulty and the challenges and feeling overwhelmed and like there's so much there, and by the end, you ended on the hope. And you asked this, who am I? Who am I that? And I wanna talk about that.
for one sec before we close because I feel like the Lord has put a word on my heart and I've never said that before, but I'm gonna say it right now. Okay, Jesus pursued the one, Cecilia, right? Everyone listening, like Jesus pursued the one, that's in scripture. You can go read the parable of the lost sheep, you can read the parable of the lost queen, you can read the woman at the well and many other things. Jesus pursued the one because like you said, Cecilia,
every single person is profoundly valuable, like valuable beyond our comprehension. And you talked about how the people are the ones that have inspired you, which is so beautiful, because that shows the gift of each person. And that it doesn't matter like where society sees that person in regards to value, it's how God, which is a worthiness that is beyond our human comprehension. Okay, so Jesus pursues the one. St. Maximilian Kolbe gave his life for the one.
for the one man. He stepped forward for the one.
The life of St. Maximilian Kolbe, the director, Anthony D'Ambrosio said that he saved his life learning about St. Maximilian Kolbe. That is the one. That is the one.
Lindy Wynne (39:32.513)
with this film, with anything we do, it's hopefully by the grace of God, pursuing the one, stepping forward in faith for the one, because we believe every one of you, every singular human being is that profoundly valuable. And so for everybody listening, you're the one, every one of you, Cecilia, you're the one, I'm the one, we're all the one, which is such a beautiful, beautiful thing.
And Cecilia, to be honest with you, I've thought about this before with Mamas in Spirit. Well, first I wanna say, once one of my friends said that in the middle of the night, one of her girlfriends was very, very sick and she couldn't sleep in the middle of the night and she lives in another state, I never met her before. And she would listen to Mamas in Spirit in the middle of the night and by the grace of God, it would console her. And I think she's since passed away. That's the one.
by the grace of God. Like that's not to any of my doing. Like this is someone I don't even know, but like that always struck me. And people will say, I'm giving this talk for the one, or I'm leading this retreat for the one or whatnot. But I can't help but think Cecilia, when you share your own story too, this film is also for the one, for you. Like this whole experience, this whole process, this whole coming to know St. Maximilian Kolbe in the way that you have and that will.
continue to resonate and penetrate in your heart. So I think that the reason that that came to my heart is because by the grace of God, we only live one moment at a time and we only encounter another soul one moment at a time in our real lives. Yet when you put this film out there, you don't know who is gonna see it or where they're gonna see it. You don't know what place or space they're gonna be in their lives. So for any naysayers which, hey,
We didn't cause that, we can't fix that. Like that's a very difficult part of being human because 1 Thessalonians 5 11 calls us to encourage one another and build each other up. So Cecilia, I wanna build you up and encourage you and all of you, everybody listening too, because that's the call and that's what Christ did. And so I want you to be fortified and I want you to know, even though I can't help this happen, only God can, is that what you're doing is so profoundly meaningful.
Lindy Wynne (41:52.481)
And that I do believe that this film has, like you got that donor because that probably touched that donor's heart. At the end of the day, it was probably about how that film pointed that donor to God and how that donor experienced that individual, personal, intimate love of Christ. And so I just wanna keep encouraging you. And for everybody listening, the last thing I wanna say is that, you know,
Oftentimes, I think like we say yes, because God has gifted us and created us with gifts. That's all in scripture. And then also because of God's grace. And yet at the same time, it's in spite of ourselves, right? Because of our humanness and all the ways we all struggle and grapple and all the things that's so normal, we all do. That's why I love your authenticity, Cecilia, because this is normal. Like this is part of the human condition and part of us. It's part of us. And so, you know, when this
When this film comes out and even now when you hear this, I hope that we personally invite the one just on social media, personally with friends. I hope we go see it and I hope whatever we say about it is encouraging because like Cecilia said, I've been traveling more for Mamas in Spirit and when I pull up on those airlines, the films, most of them, I would never even start watching them because they're just so dark or just so...
you know, filled with like temptation or just negative things. And I had a woman on once that said, how can I create the beauty of heaven when she was like filling herself with things of the world? We're called to fill ourselves with the beauty of heaven, even if at first we see difficulty or darkness or desolation, it is about the conversion, the return of our hearts to the Lord. So I hope that we all go see it. I hope that we share it. And I hope that in our word, in public and in the quiet behind closed doors,
that we encourage and that we encourage one another and build one another up. So Cecilia, I know you are so busy and you have so much going on, but I'm gonna be praying for you and I pray that everyone prays for you and for Anthony and for this film that it touches hearts, converts lives and that it saves lives because that's what our good Lord wants. So in that spirit, well first Cecilia, tell us where can everybody go to buy tickets and to find out more about Triumph of the Heart?
Cecilia (44:10.7)
Yeah, they can go to triumphoftheheart.com. will have, eventually tickets will be, you know, released from the theaters and people can buy them. But to get all of the showtimes and everything, they can just go to triumphoftheheart.com because we're doing a limited, limited release. We can't be in every single city in America, but you can go and see where we are going to be. I don't know when this will air, but there'll be a...
Basically, if you want it to come to your city and it's not there for whatever reason, you can call your local theater and request that it comes. And if they have space, they'll get in touch with our distributor. But yeah, go to triumphoftheheart.com call your local theater if there's not a screening in your area. And yeah, just tell your friends, like she was saying, tell your friends, please. Tell the one, you never know.
Lindy Wynne (45:01.43)
Yes, yes. Amen. Tell the one. Thank you so much to see again. Let us close in prayer in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Dear Lord you triumph the heart. You have the eternal power to triumph every single heart. And yet we also have free will, Lord. So I pray that today each one of us opens our hearts greater than ever before, that we surrender our lives and surrender our beings to you that we let go.
that we let go of ourselves and that we pray that our will be totally and completely aligned with your will, the one who loves us most. In your name we pray, amen. In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, amen. Thank you everyone so much for being here and know that we are praying for you and hoping and willing the very best for you and can't wait to hear about Triumph of the Heart and hopefully we will all go see it. Can't wait to be together again next time.
This is Lindy Wynne with Mamas in Spirit. May God bless you and yours always.