Releasing on September 15th nationwide, Because of Grácia touches on hot-button issues: religious liberty, intelligent design, bullying, evolution, abortion, freedom of speech

"Parents frequently wish their kids could see films in which other kids confront real-life, contemporary issues and find real, effective solutions--answers that are true but not sappy or unrealistically religious. We'll, here's a well-made film that does just that. I'm encouraging my own grandkids to see Because of Grácia!" -- Pat Boone, American singer, composer, actor, writer, television personality, motivational speaker

"Because of Grácia will move young men and women in truth and challenge all viewers in a life-changing message of hope. Congratulations, filmmakers!" -- Kevin McAfee, filmmaker (Beyond the Gates of Splendor, End of the Spear, Last Ounce of Courage)

"Because of Grácia is a wonderfully acted film and a good story well told. All of the various story elements came together beautifully in the end to support the film's main theme." -- Levi Sherman, artistic team (Beyond the Mask, Princess Cut, Badge of Faith)

Contact: Morgan Canclini-Mitchell, 817-944-1071

NASHVILLE, Aug. 22, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- In the new film Because of Grácia, directed by Tom Simes (Five Stone Films) and in select theaters nationwide September 15th, Chase Morgan's (Chris Massoglia) parents named him Chase in hopes that he would pursue something meaningful and be a man of action. Instead, he's ended up the opposite. But in his senior year of high school, someone comes along who turns that around. The new girl in town, Grácia Davis (Moriah Peters), has charisma, intelligence, character—all the things Chase and his best friend, O.B. (Brett Simes), admire. She also has a story they know nothing about.

Her own past moves Grácia to reach out to Bobbi Ryan (Rachael Hayward), a classmate in trouble from a dating relationship gone too far. As Bobbi and her boyfriend struggle with a life-and-death decision, Grácia gets drawn into a classroom debate about the origins of life, and Chase takes the risk of going public with his faith. Their plights chronicle important themes of respect and conflict, reconciliation and redemption for viewers everywhere.

"At one point I thought the director created [the] story based on experiences of mine that he had seen in online interviews because they are so similar," said Moriah Peters, CCM recording artist and star of the film. "I think people will really find a connection to the characters," she continued.

"Because of Grácia is my favorite film to have been a part of because of the honesty and emotion of this beautiful story," remarked Chris Massoglia, the male lead who plays Chase. "I hope every young person watches this movie; I know they will be impacted and deeply touched. Relationships, sex, and dating are all issues I've had questions about, and Because of Grácia offers an alternative perspective to these topics from what our generation is hearing in the world and media today."

New to the indie film scene, Because of Grácia has received nominations at multiple film festivals globally:

• International Christian Visual Media: Best Youth Film, Best Drama Over $250,000, Best Picture
   
• Life Fest Film Festival: Best Actress (Moriah Peters)
   
• Park City International Film Festival: Best Narrative Feature

Because of Grácia will be shown in select theaters nationwide on September 15th, 2017. Major cities include:

LOS ANGELES, CA
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
MIAMI, FL
HONOLULU, HI
SAN ANTONIO, TX
ORANGE COUNTY, CA
SAN DIEGO, CA
PHOENIX, AZ
INLAND EMPIRE, CA
BAKERSFIELD, CA
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
ATLANTA, GA
PEORIA, IL
ALLENTOWN, PA
WASHINGTON, DC
GREEN BAY, WI
RALEIGH, NC
ST. LOUIS, MO
NASHVILLE, TN
TULSA, OK
SEATTLE, WA
DALLAS, TX
AUSTIN, TX
HOUSTON, TX
CHICAGO, IL

To learn more about Because of Grácia, visit www.becauseofgracia.com. Group tickets available through info@becauseofgracia.com.

About Because of Grácia:
Because of Grácia (Five Stone Films/SERV OTHERS) releases in theaters nationwide on September 15th and stars American Idol's Moriah Peters and Chris Massoglia. The movie portrays the lives of two high school couples as they explore friendship and dating along dissimilar lines that lead to courage and transformation for one teen and a personal crisis for another. To learn more about Because of Grácia, visit www.becauseofgracia.com or follow @BecauseOfGracia ‏on social media and participate in the conversation using #BecauseofGracia. Group tickets available through info@becauseofgracia.com.

About Five Stone Films:
Director Tom Simes founded Five Stones Films in the fall of 2005 and soon after began the production of Season of Dreams, a football documentary. The film opened to rave reviews at Saskatoon's TCU Place in 2007 with an audience of 1,700. In 2010, Simes then turned a play he had written into the drama Run, Broken Yet Brave, which won film festival recognition across North America and is now available on Netflix. Simes' most recent project, Because of Grácia, is a winsome, faith-friendly romance scheduled for US theatrical release in September 2017. Other notable Five Stones Films projects over the years have included a full-length documentary on Nutana Collegiate, a documentary on the extraordinary life of Myles Himelreich (a young man living with FASD), and short films for the Saskatoon Health Region. Simes has taught film studies for the past 12 years in Canmore, Nanaimo, and Saskatoon.

About SERV OTHERS:
Founded by Angel Holscher Hatfield and Rodney Hatfield, SERV OTHERS is a boutique company with industry experts specializing in marketing, branding, distribution, product development, digital strategies, and reaching the church and faith and family audiences. SERV OTHERS is also widely known for their creative business solutions and carving out unique distribution channels in the ever-changing landscape of content consumption. Their clients have included Jim Caviezel The Passion of the Christ, Word of Promise Audio Bible, Person of Interest, Dinesh D'Souza Obama's America:2016, America The Movie, The Big Lie, Max Lucado the brand - books and videos, Thinking Man Films (Tim Mahoney) Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus, The Young Explorers Series, The Evidence of Faith, Patterns of Evidence: Moses (October 2017). Both Angel Holscher Hatfield and Rodney Hatfield also serve as Executive Producers on the feature film Because of Grácia (2017).