Experiencing Interruptions?

Jesus Awakens the Little Girl

Just what happened when Jesus brought the rabbi's daughter back from the dead? When teenagers are awakened against their will they can be pretty cranky and this one is no exception. The Gospels are full of stories of Jesus with children and adults -- but no teenagers! Here is the hilarious untold story of what happened when He finally encountered one.

  • Emmett Loverde
    Director
    Good Business Sense; She's Out of His Mind; The Truth About Me; A Timely Maneuver; Free Advice; Beauty, Brains, and Personality
  • Christopher Estrada
    Director
  • Emmett Loverde
    Writer
    Good Business Sense; She's Out of His Mind; The Truth About Me; A Timely Maneuver; Free Advice; Cranky Call; Beauty, Brains, and Personality
  • Emmett Loverde
    Producer
    Good Business Sense; She's Out of His Mind; The Truth About Me; Free Advice; Cranky Call
  • Cindy Ware
    Producer
    She's Out of His Mind, A Timely Maneuver
  • Christopher Estrada
    Producer
  • Paul Rogan
    Key Cast
    "Jesus"
    Good Business Sense
  • Samantha Elizabeth Johnson
    Key Cast
    "Bridget (the little girl)"
    Beauty, Brains, and Personality
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Inspirational, Faith-Based
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 41 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 7, 2010
  • Production Budget:
    25,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital Cinema
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Emmett Loverde, Christopher Estrada

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2179007/
Mr. Loverde is a native of Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in Berkeley and Albany, California and received a degree in Theater from UCLA. He has written extensively for stage, screen, television, and radio. Over 200 separate productions of his stage plays have been mounted worldwide to date. He has also written and directed three feature films and numerous shorts.

Films written and directed by Mr. Loverde include the features "Beauty, Brains, and Personality;" "She's Out of His Mind;" and "Santa's Letters;" the comedy shorts "Good Business Sense," "Jesus Awakens the Little Girl," "A Timely Maneuver," "Snacking," "The Truth About Me," and "Cranky Call;" the web series "Free Advice" (co-written with his brother Paul Loverde); and several music videos.

In addition to the scripts for the above films Mr. Loverde’s screenplays include the historical saga "C.C. Julian" and the comedy "Love at Second Bite" for actor George Hamilton; a feature-length version of his film festival satire short "Snacking" (based on Mr. Loverde’s own zany experiences); the action thriller "CODEC;" the romantic comedy "Mergers and Acquisitions;" and the romantic drama "Desire Sleeps."

Mr. Loverde’s radio adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ "The Moon Maid" -- for which he received a commission from The Hollywood Theatre of the Ear -- was broadcast twice on National Public Radio. His comedy radio play "The Killist" was produced by The One Act Players of San Francisco.

His stage comedies include "A Timely Maneuver;" "Beauty, Brains, and Personality;" "Good Business Sense;" "Jesus Awakens the Little Girl;" "The Maginot Line;" "Peace and Quiet;" "Play How You Play;" "Love Fax;" "Sensitivity, USA;" "Till You Get To Baraboo;" "Santa’s Letters;" "So Much Snow;" and "Uneasy Overture." His stage dramas include "Real Power."

Three of Mr. Loverde’s stage titles are in publication by Playscripts, Inc. and nine more are published by Heuer Publishing. Several of his stage plays and his book of short stories "Gifts for Good Friends" are available through Amazon. And his children's picture book "Clawdette the Cat" is published by Adamo Press.

Mr. Loverde is also an accomplished painter and photographer. He works in both traditional (paint and canvas) and electronic media.

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Director Statement

I have always worked with children and teenagers. I am a former Catholic Big Brother, I was a Youth Minister for my church, I was a Teaching Artist with the (now unfortunately defunct) Virginia Avenue Project in Santa Monica, California, and I was a teacher with the Los Angeles and Garden Grove Unified School Districts for several years. I have always enjoyed the boundless energy of children and teenagers, and I was very intrigued by the Talitha Cumi story from the Gospels ("Little girl, I say to you: Arise!") I wondered how a teenager (actually the stories say she was twelve but I think thirteen is a funnier age) might react to being awakened. I wrote a play of the story, with a humorous twist, and I shared it with the Youth Group. They seemed to really enjoy it, so I polished it up and it was actually produced on stage a few times, in Los Angeles and at the University of Chicago. Then I worked with a young actress, Samantha Johnson, who I thought had the limitless energy that I thought the character of Bridget required, and the film came together from there.

I always hoped that audiences would see the movie as a celebration of Jesus' generous character and infinite patience (well, nearly infinite, as the film suggests) as well as His ability to see the good inside even a very challenging person.