168's Team Features Gigi Guizado from "I’m in Love with a Church Girl"

Gigi Guizado

Faith-based is hot and shows no sign of cooling off. With the success of "God is Not Dead," "Son of God," and others, has Hollywood got religion?  Well…

Anyway, here's a team that proves the point, the train is here and it's not slowing down.

Team 21 in the 168 Film Project 2014 includes Actress Gigi Guizado (I’m in Love with a Church Girl) and Las Vegas author Jonathan Sturak (Clouded Rainbow) have teamed up with Las Vegas filmmakers Jim Sams and Marlon Jay Manuel to collaborate on a 168 Short.

Guizado will exploit her strong resemblance to Tina Fey in an original, redemptive dramedy written by Sturak, whose novels are frequently set in Las Vegas.  The team will have 10 days for pre-production, including screenwriting, followed by 168 hours to shoot and edit their short film based on a theme and a Bible verse.  

Las Vegas, aka Sin City, will be the setting.  Pre-production is set to begin May 13, 2014, and production week is May 23 – 30, 2014.

Of course all 168 Speed Films know they will be disqualified if they write before their foundational verse is randomly assigned. But that doesn't stop them from legally brainstorming as this group is doing. 

International Christian moviegoers will recognize Gigi Guizado as the title character’s protective mother, playing opposite Jeffrey “Ja Rule” Atkins, in I’m in Love with a Church Girl.  Guizado will serve as both star and producer on this new project.

With three published novels set in Las Vegas’ grittier environs (From Vegas With Blood, Vegas Was Her Name, Geek vs Vegas), UNLV Film Department graduate Jonathan Sturak knows the territory well.  Sturak contributes his talents as both co-producer and screenwriter of this short film.  His debut thriller novel "Clouded Rainbow" was published in December 2009 and has over 100,000 downloads on Amazon Kindle. 

The 168 Film Festival will take place September 11-13, 2014 in Los Angeles, CA.