The Highest Order

Asher Hope lives within a secluded, cult-like Christian community led by the feared and revered Ezekiel Saint. Yet he dreams of a life beyond its walls, out in the real world. When he meets an unlikely ally, Tom Baskins, the impossible life he longs for suddenly feels within reach.

  • Jordan Hopa
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Screenplay
  • Number of Pages:
    159
  • Language:
    English
  • First-time Screenwriter:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Manhattan Film Festival
    Manhattan, New York
    June 11, 2026
    Finalist
Writer Biography - Jordan Hopa

Filmmaker Jordan Hopa grew up in Invercargill, New Zealand, at the bottom of the world, before moving to Dunedin to study at the University of Otago, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Film, Media, and Communication. During his time at university, Jordan immersed himself in storytelling, writing screenplays while shooting everything from concert videos to student films. It was there that he discovered his passion for filmmaking, a passion that has continued to shape his life ever since.

After graduating, Jordan moved to Melbourne, Australia, where he signed with his first agency and appeared in a range of short films and commercials. When the COVID-19 pandemic brought the industry to a standstill, he returned home to New Zealand and settled in Auckland, where he turned his full attention toward feature screenwriting.

To date, Jordan has completed five feature screenplays. His coming-of-age drama “Kid,” the very first screenplay he ever wrote, recently underwent extensive rewrites nearly a decade after its original draft. The screenplay has since begun gaining significant momentum on the festival circuit, receiving recognition from multiple international screenplay competitions and attracting encouraging interest from US and UK production companies requesting to read the project.

His latest screenplay, “The Highest Order,” has also begun receiving festival recognition, while his recently completed short film has already earned official festival selections. With several projects gaining traction internationally, Jordan is continuing to build momentum as an emerging filmmaker with a strong passion for emotionally driven storytelling.

As a writer, director, producer, and actor, Jordan’s dream is to create and star in his own feature films, bringing deeply personal and cinematic stories to life on the big screen. Influenced by character-driven cinema that blends emotional honesty with visual poetry, he hopes to craft films that resonate with audiences long after the credits roll.

Film has always been his first love and remains his life’s greatest passion.

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Writer Statement

"The Highest Order" is a drama inspired by a documentary I watched about Gloriavale, a Christian community in New Zealand. Hearing the stories of those who escaped and went on to live rich, fulfilling lives deeply moved me. Their strength sparked the idea for this film, a story about a young man’s struggle to break free from the oppressive world he was born into.

I wanted the screenplay to feel heartfelt and emotional, yet ultimately hopeful and enlightening. My goal was to draw attention to communities like this around the world and, in doing so, shed light on the resilience of people who, like my protagonist Asher Hope, fight for a better life beyond the walls that confine them.

To shape the tone and emotional journey, I drew inspiration from films such as "It’s a Wonderful Life," "The Shawshank Redemption," "The Holdovers," "Doctor Zhivago," "Good Will Hunting" and "October Sky." Because the story unfolds in a rural farming community, I also took visual cues from the poetic beauty of "Days of Heaven," "Mirror" and "There Will Be Blood." Though few of us will ever experience the life depicted in "The Highest Order," I believe its universal themes of good versus evil, justice, perseverance, overcoming adversity and sacrifice will resonate with audiences who find themselves rooting for Asher from beginning to end.

The world of "The Highest Order" is filled with rich, symbolic characters. Since Asher is cut off from the outside world, I wanted to introduce a figure, Jacob Jones, who opens his eyes to the beauty and wonder we often take for granted, the power of music, film and human connection. His romantic counterpart, Phoebe Love, embodies warmth, hope and the unrelenting spirit of love worth fighting for. Their relationship represents the boundless capacity of the human heart and our willingness to risk everything for what truly matters.

On the other side stands Prophet Ezekiel, the story’s antagonist, a man corrupted by power and blinded by control. Every great story needs a villain who makes us cheer for the hero’s triumph and Ezekiel serves as that force of darkness. Balancing him is Tom Baskins, the mentor figure whose wisdom and guidance remind us that even the bravest souls need help along their journey.

Ultimately, "The Highest Order" is a story about hope, love and the unbreakable spirit of humanity, about how far we are willing to go to fight for what we believe in. Asher and Phoebe’s escape from God’s Peak symbolizes the universal fight within all of us, the courage to dream, to love and to seek freedom.

It brings me immense pride to finally share "The Highest Order" with the world. I hope it moves audiences, sparks reflection and offers light and hope to anyone who might need it.