Calvary Chapel Hosts 'Little Boy' Screening: Child Star's Father Offers Powerful Testimony
Calvary Chapel hosted a special screening of "Little Boy" in Costa Mesa, California over the weekend where the film's star, Jakob Salvati, joined his father onstage for a performance and a testimony.
Roma Downey and Mark Burnett's latest feature film is set to hit theaters on April 24, but select church leaders enjoyed an early screening of "Little Boy" starring Salvati. Following the screening, Salvati and his father, Bruce Salvati, performed the worship song "How He Loves Me" before the family revealed the significance of the screening location.
"In 1977, I became a Christian because of the ministry of Calvary Chapel of the Orange Coast College Campus," Bruce explained, according to The Christian Post exclusively. "It was a great privilege to be on the stage that gave birth to the Jesus movement and accompany my son on the guitar."
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Salvati went on to recognize the church's influence on Hollywood while also citing Calvary Chapel's founder, Pastor Chuck Smith.
"Every generation needs its own Jesus Movement and sometimes it takes different forms," he said. "Maybe the next one will be in the area of movies. I only wish Pastor Chuck could have been here."
Also during the evening, Calvary Chapel's Pastor Dave Manne led a Q&A with Jakob who shed light on what it was like working on "Little Boy" with producers Downey and Burnett, revealing which is his favorite Bible verse, and thanking Calvary Chapel for hosting the screening. Manne reflected the child actor's gratitude, citing Salvati as a blessing to the church.
"We were blessed by 'Little Boy,' but especially by the presence of Jakob," said Mann. "The film was positive, entertaining, and inspiring, but everyone was moved by Jakob's performance in the film. It's rare to see such a young actor capturing such deep emotion with a genuine authenticity. Jakob truly drove the message of the film onto each one of our hearts."
CBS 5 - KPHO"Little Boy," which hits theaters everywhere April 24, follows Salvati as Pepper Busbee, a child struggling with the stigma of being small for his age. Pepper's only friend, his father, is drafted to Japan during WWII leaving Pepper relying on faith to bring him back. The film also stars Kevin James, Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson.
