When director and University of Southern California student Brian Ivie read about the South Korean pastor Lee Jong-rank who builds a new home for unwanted babies and children born out of wedlock, Ivie created an award-winning film that showcases the good-hearted cause. He called it "The Drop Box."
Director Ivie, who is also a member of his church's Gospel male choir tenor, was interviewed in the hit daytime show "The Real" and shared his filmmaking experience making "The Drop Box" that paid tribute to the pastor who nurtured unwanted babies.
"I read about Pastor Lee over a breakfast cereal," the 21-year-old director told the hosts. "I sent an email to Pastor Lee and I wanted to make a movie about his life because the idea kinda haunted me that this had to exist in the world."
Ivie received back an email that he said was clearly from Google Translate saying, "Dear Brian, I don't know what it means to make a documentary film about my life, but you can come live with me if you want."
With a small team, he visited South Korea and was faced by the reality, even inspiring him more to make the best out of the movie "The Drop Box" that featured a pastor's effort to save unwanted babies. He added during the talk show interview that there are over 650 children that are being dropped off, and said the pastor takes the ones with the most disabilities.
"The Drop Box," from a 10-minute short film to a full 80-minute feature telling the touching story of a nurturing home for unwanted babies, has recently made over $3 million dollars in the box-office, Ivie shared.
"The resulting documentary paints a moving portrait of a modern day hero and points viewers to the loving God whose heart is compassionate toward the fatherless," the film's website said.
The gospel comes to Fox News! @therealdaytime @thejeanniemai #allgrace #thedropbox
A photo posted by Brian Ivie (@brianivie1990) on Jun 3, 2015 at 4:06pm PDT
Pastor Lee was featured last June 2011 on Los Angeles Times as a man who builds a "drop box" attached to the side of a home located in a working-class neighborhood, where parents can anonymously deposit unwanted babies, or those born out of wedlock.
The "drop box" made for unwanted babies has a bell that chimes whenever the box's door is opened, the report said. The sound coming from the bell is the signal for pastor Lee Jong-rak to prepare a new home for the baby left by his or her parents.
This inspiring story was what made Ivie, along with his colleagues Will Tober and Bryce Komae to produce the documentary film "The Dropbox." The film's website said the movie has received major awards including "Best Justice Film" in the Los Angeles Justice Film Festival, "Inspiration Award" in the John Paull II Film Festival, and official selection in the Portland Film Festival among many others.
"I saw God's love and this pastor was picking a mail box from the street and bringing it home," Ivie recalled. "And my soul came home."
Watch the trailer of "The Drop Box," a story about unwanted babies, below.
