Broken And Beautiful: ORU Alum Tells Powerful True Story Through Feature Film

 When, as an ORU student, Eric Welch (1991) went on a two-month missions trip to Nigeria, he had no idea God was planting seeds that would flower into a harvest much, much later.

"Two months in Africa during the summer is going to affect you profoundly," Welch says. "There's a sweet spirit among the people there. I fell in love with the people there and it made an impact on me in several ways."

Fast-forward a couple of decades and Welch, long a directorial titan in the music video industry, started thinking about adding feature films to his résumé.

"I was happy [making videos] and I was blessed to work with some great artists," Welch says. "And now we're able to make more message-oriented videos to connect with people. But I started thinking about doing something with more long-term value, and then about two years later this script fell into my lap. It was a challenge to take on as my first feature, but we achieved what we set out to do."

The script in question was for "Beautifully Broken," a narratively challenging film based on a true story about three families in two different cultures—the United States and Rwanda—overcoming obstacles to find peace and forge friendships. Since the events of the film took place in both Africa and Welch's hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he was a perfect fit to shepherd the story to the screen.

"I've always done music videos," he says. "As a kid I was making Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies on my camcorder. But my core business has been music videos and I love doing that. I've worked with artists like Dolly Parton, Tim McGraw, Kid Rock, Carrie Underwood, Tobymac, and MercyMe.

"Chuck Howard, one of the producers I work with, was moving from producing music to films. He had been happy with the music videos I worked on and so he asked me to direct a film.

"'Beautifully Broken' felt like something I could sink my teeth into."

When asked what drew him to the material, Welch touches on aspects of paternal love, faith, and the human condition.

"[This film] asks the question: how far would you go to protect those you love?" he says. "One father goes to Africa, one goes to America, and one goes to prison. Through each set of families, the thing that connects to me is that everyone goes through challenging times in their lives. No matter where you're from, what social background, economic background, everyone goes through trials, and we all have some kind of common ground in ways we can help inspire each other. It's an incredible story of forgiveness and how you overcome the challenges of your past, no matter what those may be, through faith in God and in one another.

"There are biblical truths in this film that are culturally relevant, and that every person can find. This film shows, as Christians, how we should see other people."

Welch developed his passion for visual storytelling while a student at ORU, often spending entire nights in the film lab experimenting with different editing techniques and learning through trial and error.

"I enjoyed the challenge of it, the art form," he says. "I stayed up all night editing projects. I would take movies and edit music videos out of them, just practicing and trying things. That's what I'd do Friday and Saturday nights."

But all his late-night practice in the film lab isn't the only ORU experience that stuck with Welch.

"My professors not only gave me technical skills but also the inspiration of going into everyone's world to use my skills and gifts to expand the kingdom," he says. "ORU was great for both the technical and for the inspiration. You don't have to be an evangelist or preacher—you can just use your skills and gifts in your world to affect your community."

Now that his first feature has been finished, Welch is turning a faith-filled eye to the future and what's next.

"I'm open. I don't have any best-laid plans. God has always ordered my steps and put me where He wants me to be, and I trust in that. I trust in His plan and His timing and his direction."

Regardless of what happens down the road, Welch is still drawing upon his experience as a student in his everyday world.

"ORU was really important in my foundation and the vision still keeps me going today. There were a lot of things put in my heart back then that are still coming to fruition."

 

'Beautifully Broken' opens in select theaters nationwide this Friday, August 24, 2018.
Official 'Beautifully Broken' website
Official 'Beautifully Broken' Facebook page