The Ask
Life is a beautiful risk.
Thanks for watching our award-winning short film, which serves as a "proof of concept" for the feature film version of this timely story.
Logline
Three men navigate a crucible of promises they make to a dying member of their weekly card game, testing the boundaries of commitment, accountability, and, ultimately, friendship.
The Story
Four ride-or-die friends have a unique way of playing their weekly card game. Instead of gambling for money, the winner gets a favor from the other players. They call it The Ask.
Eli, one of the players, contracts a deadly disease but is given one last ask before he dies. The story follows David Berk and his two friends attempting to honor their promises to Eli.
The Impact
The Ask gives audiences an honest, vulnerable look at the challenge of building and maintaining male friendship in the midst of life trials. But it does so with a carefully crafted nuance that invites viewers into the process. And it also does so with a sense of humor, providing a welcome dose of levity. The blend of gravity and humor delivers a story that will be both impactful and entertaining.
Market Positioning
While THE ASK explores the terrain of male friendship, the story also includes other elements that extend its reach to females and families. In short, it’s a film that will contain a strong appeal to females, as well.
The film includes a component that will resonate with the faith audience. The filmmakers have been diligent in constructing a story that works well for that market while being committed to building a story that otherwise stands on its own. In other words, the faith elements are included in a way that is organic to the character arcs developing in the story. In this film, those elements are included in a way that is not overtly proselytizing to audiences. They unfold instead in a way that naturally fits within the human journey of processing loss, discovering meaning, and pressing in on restoration.
And in being perhaps less “earnest” than many other films in the faith market, the belief is that the film will have a higher degree of connectivity within that market.
Additionally, as the story is cast well and told well, the expectation is that the film can also play in select arenas that transcend the core faith market.
Ken Carpenter is building a reputation for making movies with both a high level of craftsmanship and a worldview that's additive to culture. He most recently produced sci-fi thriller THE SHIFT for Angel Studios, starring Neal McDonough, Sean Astin, and Liz Tabish (THE CHOSEN), which will be released theatrically in early 2024. His SURPRISED BY OXFORD romance/drama (filmed in the UK) opens in theaters September 2023, and the comedy ROLL WITH IT, produced with Endeavor Content and Third Coast Content, was released in theaters in 2023. His Ireland-based FINDING YOU (starring Academy Award-winner Vanessa Redgrave) was released in 2021 by Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate/Amazon Prime.
He previously produced RUN THE RACE (with Executive Producer Tim Tebow), which was released by Roadside Attractions theatrically in 2019. He has also produced THE WORLD WE MAKE, released by Netflix and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment in 2019. He has also produced television movies, including A WELCOME HOME CHRISTMAS in 2020 and DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF (starring Heather Locklear) for Lifetime television in 2021.
Producer—
With over 30 years of experience, Ken Beale is a seasoned independent film producer based in Franklin, Tennessee (Nashville).
He served as co-producer on "The Shift" with Kristoffer Polaha, Neal McDonough, and Sean Astin (Angel Studios), working alongside lead producer Ken Carpenter and writer/director Brock Heasley.
Beale wrote, produced, and directed "The Sereer," a feature-length documentary film that explores the culture, lifestyles, and belief systems of the people of the Sereer tribe in Senegal, West Africa. The film has been honored with 30+ film industry awards, most notably the "Best Picture" award from the prestigious Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards (LAIFFA).
Beale also served as co-producer on "The World We Make" starring Rose Reid (Universal Pictures, NETFLIX), "A Welcome Home Christmas" with Jana Kramer, and "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff: The Kristine Carlson Story" starring Heather Locklear (Lifetime Television).
In 2016 he produced "Leo Twiggs: Requiem for Mother Emanuel,” an award-winning short film that showcases batik artist Leo Twiggs and his nine paintings commemorating the first anniversary of the massacre at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC, as well as the response of overwhelming forgiveness by the church and the victims' families in the aftermath of the attack. The paintings and the film have been exhibited throughout the South.
Beale has other projects now in development. He and his wife, Darla, have two grown children and are now enjoying their grandchildren.
Writer/Director—
Brian Ellison runs Nashville-based Tekmerion Productions, where he has helmed a wide variety of diverse projects for a quality client base. All the while, he's had his eye on telling narrative stories. His deep experience equips him to step into the dramatic realm with a strong foundation of production know-how.
Extended Production Team—
THE ASK will benefit by surrounding Ellison with an experienced team of craftspeople well-skilled in quality filmmaking, from production staff to crew members to post-production.