Lake in the Hills parents ‘so grateful’ for son’s indie film release in theaters Friday, including local AMC

Wanda and Allen Iverson have always supported their independent filmmaker son. On Friday, they will see their support and his talent pay off when his first feature-length movie appears on big screens across the country, including at the AMC Lake in the Hills 12 movie theater.

Their son, Mark Stewart Iverson, 37, who was raised in Hoffman Estates, is the writer and director of “For Prophet.” His parents, who live in Lake in the Hills, make cameos in the faith-based comedy and are co-producers who helped finance the film.

In the Chicago area this weekend, the film also can be seen at AMC South Barrington 24, Classic Cinemas Carpentersville, Marcus Elgin Cinema and AMC River East 21 in Chicago.

Citing the ups and downs over the years-long filmmaking process, Wanda Iverson said of her son: “I am so proud of him. It is wonderful to see that he is getting the reward that he needs, he wanted, he deserves. I’m just so grateful for God’s blessing.”

Last week, the movie premiered at the Marcus Elgin Cinema, where about 200 people viewed it ahead of its theatrical release. Mark Stewart Iverson said the premiere “went splendidly.”

“It just felt so great to have so many cast, crew, supporters, fans, collaborators and loved ones from all over the suburbs there to support,” he said. “My heart was filled with so much joy [that] it almost burst.”

Longtime family friend Dale Tadelman, also of Lake in the Hills, attended the premier and said the film “was delightful … very heartwarming.”

“It made you think, made me cry. It was moving,” Tadelman said.

Last year, the film was nominated for awards at the International Christian Film Festival. It also won two awards, including best comedy, at the International Christian Visual Media Crown Awards, Mark Stewart Iverson said.

Shot in 2019 with Elgin transformed into the fictional city of Mount Zion, the story is the tale of a man dealing with good and evil, but with a light comedic flair. Mark Stewart Iverson puts the main character in modern-day scenarios and storylines exploring faith, family, kindness and community.

He said his film, which he began writing in 2017, is character-driven and can be described in many ways: a faith-based comedy, a comedy with faith-based elements or a “dramedy with faith ... lots of laughs and lots of spirit.”

Over the years there were hiccups, but they always seemed to work themselves out. The main character of the film struggles, as did Iverson when making this film, but he had faith and continued moving forward, ”believing in my chosen path,” he said.

“I think this film has been a testament to keeping the faith in art in general,” he said. “I do believe I have been tasked by God to do what I am doing. I have to believe that. If I didn’t have that faith, then I wouldn’t have been able to make this film.”

The film soon being viewed in theaters across the country ”is a dream.”

“With indie films, you can never expect that,” Iverson said. “... [We] never expected this kind of distribution. It was a hope, a prayer and a dream.”

When the news came that the film would be released in theaters, “we were over the moon. This is exactly what we were waiting so long for,” he said.

The movie, which is being distributed to theaters by Integrity Releasing, will be available on streaming services July 26.

“Everybody who worked on it felt like, ‘Oh, wow, this is really something special.’ We knew when we were making it, it was super special … but when you get that outside perspective that this should be in theaters, that confirms the uniqueness,” Iverson said.

Joyce Kiepura of Pingree Grov saw the premiere and said it is a movie the whole family can watch and discuss. She is encouraging her six adult children to see it.

The movie “really is about battling the voices, trying to pick out what’s right and listen to God,” she said. “If we listen, he will guide us in the right direction. It showed the struggles [the main character] was going through. He listened to his heart and his head and, in the end, it was a happy ending.”

Valentina Garcia of Los Angeles, who plays the Archangel Raphael, has been a working actress for 15 years, appearing in such shows as “Lessons in Chemistry,” “Beef” and the reboot of “Saved By the Bell.” She also is a regular on Progressive Insurance commercials and had been in an earlier project that Iverson had done titled “Dorm Life.”

She said she is spiritual but not faith-based, so being in the movie “was a really interesting experience. I believe in something bigger, but I am not evangelical, I’m not a Christian,” she said.

She understood the character to represent the “good in people and good and evil in all of us. You don’t necessarily have to be identified as Christian to be a good-hearted, spiritual person [and] to walk that path in life.”

Garcia was cast for the role after someone else dropped out, and now that the movie is complete, Iverson said he cannot imagine anyone else playing that role. Garcia said that “shows the power the universe has in store.” She had just given birth and was looking for some work when Iverson called. She had to quickly figure out if she could spend two weeks in Elgin to film the movie. While making the movie, she said, she “had these really powerful experiences … [the film] was like the little engine that could. … Every time I think it is dead, I get a call that it is moving along.”

Enrico Natale, also of Los Angeles and a professional actor, played the demon. Natale’s other roles include a part in “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain.” He also wrote, produced and edited “The Ritual,” a film starring Al Pacino being released in theaters next year. He has known Iverson for 12 years and said he always believed the movie would be released in theaters.

Natale was attracted to the role of the demon – who in “For Prophet” is the voice of self-doubt and criticism – because “anyone can connect to the demon character because everyone experiences that.”

“I know everyone struggles with that, with what the demon is, the self-doubt,” Natale said. “When you stare at yourself in the mirror, you don’t like what you see, the negative thoughts about yourself. You don’t think you are going to be able to make it. I had those same thoughts. I connected with the meaning of that character, the meaning of who he is to everyone on this planet.”

Natale continued: “I hope people take away the message that you can overcome those dark feelings you have about yourself, [that] you are worthy, you are worth it to fight harder, to get past those thoughts and to really remember that there is love, there is light. You don’t have to live in that darkness.”

Tickets, movie times and information about the movie are available at forprophetfilm.com.