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My Great Great Great Uncle Built Churches

Bob Childress was the founder and builder of the famous “Rock Churches” of southwest Virginia, all established between 1919 and 1954. In 2022, Buford Jessup and his family set out to visit all seven of his great uncle’s churches.

  • Christian Jessup
    Director
    The Dancin' Bulldogs
  • Christian Jessup
    Producer
    The Dancin' Bulldogs
  • Marshall Little
    Producer
  • Christian Jessup
    Composer
    The Dancin' Bulldogs
  • Marshall Little
    Art Direction
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 53 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 3, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    250 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:35:1
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Christian Jessup

Christian Jessup is an award-winning composer for film and visual media. A graduate of Gardner-Webb University, Jessup spent the summer of 2017 interning at Hans Zimmer's film studio, Remote Control Productions.

More recently, Jessup began directing. His directorial debut, The Dancin' Bulldogs, was critically acclaimed and won several film festivals and critics awards.

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Director Statement

What started as a spur-of-the-moment day trip with my family evolved into a deeply personal short film for me. As we set out to visit each of the seven churches my great great great uncle built, I saw how much this moment meant to my grandfather. He teared up as he viewed each church, and he would share memories of his Uncle Bob with us as we drove from place to place.

I edited the short film in such a way as to not necessarily tell a linear story, but to bring the viewer along with me and my family in viewing these monuments. With minimal dialogue, you're invited to simply take in the scenic countryside, listen to the reverent (yet unmistakably southern) music, and marvel at each of the small stone churches.

I hope this short film gives audiences a glimpse into how much the trip meant to me and my family.