They say truth is stranger than fiction, and makes for the best stories. Producer DeVon Franklin, the driving force behind major motion picture Breakthrough, embraces this philosophy for the films he chooses to make.
“It’s my passion to tell inspirational stories that are based on true real-life people, and my number one goal is that I do right by the subject,” says Franklin. “I’ve always been passionate about inspiration, and inspirational content, and that’s why I wanted to get into entertainment.”
“When I came to Hollywood I wanted to use entertainment to make a positive change in people’s lives. Entertainment is one of the most powerful mediums in the world. Entertainment is transformational. And being part of the entertainment industry gives me a chance to change the world in a positive and inspirational way.”
“I want to dedicate my life to Hollywood as a producer, to tell stories that can be transformative.”
Real-Life Story
Breakthrough is based on a true story of a mother, Joyce Smith, who prayed her son back to life after he fell through a frozen lake and died. It’s a story about how this miracle impacted a community and every person within that community.
“John was underneath the ice for 15 minutes, with no oxygen. When they rescued him, he had no pulse. They rushed him to the emergency room and worked on him for another 45 minutes. The doctors could not bring him back to life,” explains Franklin.
“They bring Joyce into the emergency room and there she sees her son dead, laid out in the emergency room right there on the table. And instead of saying goodbye she goes over to his feet and says ‘Holy Spirit please bring back my son right now!’ And next thing you know the EKG machine starts going off.”
“This movie is described as a medical miracle because in the medical record it said ‘Patient dead, mother prayed, patient came back to life.’ That’s not editorialized, that’s not a publicist spin on the event. That’s not a reporter’s take on the event. That is a medical doctor documenting what happened.”
The miracle of John coming back to life is only the beginning of the story, and becomes a catalyst for a series of other miracles to take place.
“The thing that was so powerful to me and one of the reasons why I wanted to do the film is because of how the community rallied around John. We all go through things in life and wonder, do we matter? Is there a plan? Is there a purpose? And to go through this and discover that not only is there a purpose but look at everyone, all of these people were interceding on my behalf. Wow. It just underscores our own individual value.”
“This is a modern day resurrection story. It’s true. It is. And it’s kind of great that it’s a resurrected resurrection story for resurrection time. The movie comes out the week before Easter – the Friday before Palm Sunday and the Friday before Good Friday.”
“God is operating in miracles every day, but sometimes we’re so focused in our day-to-day that we don’t see them. This movie, and the story of John Smith and Joyce Smith and Pastor Jason, I believe will remind people that miracles are still happening. It will remind us of the power of prayer.”
