@:In attendance were Lee students, the film’s actors and members of the community.
Nathan McKay, the director and writer, was impressed by the turnout.
“I’ve already got great responses from the first showing,” McKay said. “People are really impressed, especially with this being my first film.”
“The Pocketwatch” follows the journey of several individuals in a post-apocalyptic earth. Each is struggling to find answers in a suddenly chaotic world.
The movie had two showings: one at 7 p.m. and another at 9 p.m. The earlier time appeared to appeal to older viewers.
McKay said of the second showing, “A lot of the Lee students came out, which I love. Everyone’s energy was really good.”
Marla Blevins, a telecomm major at Lee University, enjoyed the film.
“It was really good,” Blevins said. “I could relate to it because that is kind of how I thought it was going to be in the end times.”
Blevin’s friend, Desiree Colon, agreed.
“Its realistic,” Colon joined. “We are going to be fighting for what we need at the end, so it was interesting to see it on the screen.”
Both students believed a premier at Lee University was a great idea.
“It is excellent to see what a Lee student has done — well, an alumni,” Blevins said. “Its a good way to get the community involved and its cool to see your peers in it.”
The audience sat down to enjoy the film with movie popcorn, soda and candy.
Said area resident Trudy Stewart, “The film was great. It was a real eye-opener for ones who are not Christians.”
The movie was dedicated in memory of Jamie Caulk. Caulk, one of the film’s actors, passed away last fall due to complications from an automobile accident. In honor of Caulk, McKay accepted donations for the Jamie Caulk Scholarship fund.
Karen Winters found out about the movie through Facebook. Winters had mixed feelings about the film.
“I believe the younger generation will appreciate the movie. It was a different take on the rapture,” Winters said. “For the young director’s first time, he did a good job.”
Nathan Nichols, a student at Lee University, was pleasantly surprised.
“The cinematography was better than I expected,” Nichols said. “It was a different take on the rapture as it showed the conflict of opposing views.”
McKay appeared to be as excited as the crowd.
“It feels good to see something on screen after two years of working on it,” McKay explained. “It is a very rewarding experience because you work so hard on it and you don’t really get to see how people respond to it — until today.”
Mark Tittle believed that the subject matter of the film is timely.
“Especially with everyone talking about the Mayan calendar it had good timing,” Tittle said. “The film wasn’t bad. They got their point across without pushing too hard or too fast.”
Tittle agreed with most of the audience that — for a first time piece — it was well done.
