Go to main contentsGo to main menu
Wednesday, August 13, 2025 at 1:22 PM

Columbus-filmed movie ‘Finding Solace’ premieres, advocates for social justice

Columbus-filmed movie ‘Finding Solace’ premieres, advocates for social justice
“Finding Solace” director and actor Maurice Moore and second assistant director Tai Hallstein take a red carpet photo together at the movie’s premiere during Austin Action Fest, Saturday, Aug. 9, in Austin. Courtesy photo

AUSTIN — Audience members overflowed into a second theater to watch the premiere showing of Motivate Pictures’ independent film “Finding Solace” during the Austin Action Fest, Saturday, Aug. 9, in Austin.

The audience praised the movie, its cast and crew through numerous rounds of applause both before and after the film’s showing. Director, screenwriter and actor Maurice Moore shared his appreciation for the audience, especially those from Columbus where the movie was primarily filmed. Moore specifically recognized Shelley Janik and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, the sheriff’s department, Dewberry Café and the locals who served as extras.

“I love small towns. They were a bit challenging in the big scheme of things because of the travel and having to house folks…because everybody wanted to be a part of it. In the small towns, people like — if you don’t mess up their towns — the energy when you’re making a movie there,” Moore said. “They get to be a part of it…You want to work really hard to represent those small towns as much as you possibly can because they don’t get the same kind of recognition that the bigger cities are getting.”

The action-drama movie follows the reconciliation of the Solace sisters, Simone and Lexi, while the local police department investigates a series of mysterious murders. The movie primarily focused on the theme of social justice and highlighted the lingering impacts of racism, trauma and grief. For example, Simone Solace travels back to her hometown of New Liberty, the story’s setting, to face the loss of her father and escape her trauma from a child abuse case. Marsha Endahl-Kramer, a social worker and mother to producer Jennifer Whitney, praised the film during its follow-up Q&A panel.

“I thought it was an outstanding, outstanding film. I happen to have been a social worker therapist for 50 years with specializing in domestic violence and child abuse and rape and all of those kinds of things. I found the movie so believable. It was just like my heart was stopping,” Endahl-Kramer said. “Everything from this young actress when she was scared to dealing with all kinds of families and what happens when they come back for funerals and things like that, it was so realistic and well done.”

Moore said that the original idea for the movie originated from his emotional turmoil over the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in May 2020. The final film reflects significant revisions, including the addition of the two sisters. The movie emphasizes the harmful impacts of racism, both systematic and overt, on rural Black Texans. Actor Robert Ashker Kraft played Sherrif Baylor and said his character acted to protect the status quo, which from a white perspective is the basis of racism.

“It’s kind of a microcosm of how racism exists in the world. You notice that the guys all had a secret, and that’s kind of the way racism lives in our culture. It’s this unspoken thing. It’s disguised sometimes as things like Blue Lives Matter,” Kraft said. “It’s couched in terms of patriotism and love of your town or love of your country when a lot of what is really is saying is they want to keep people different from us out.”

Moore said that he struggled over utilizing slurs and racist language but decided to because he wanted to make the movie as authentic as possible. Moore grew up in a small town in North Carolina and became interested in movie production after serving as a child extra in Stephen Spielberg’s “The Color Purple.” Moore explained that he wanted to acknowledge the variations of racism today in communities and in the current political climate.

“I don’t find joy in making people feel uncomfortable, but I find that in order to have the impact I want to have at the end, then going to those places were necessary,” Moore said. “Based on response so far, it is challenging, but people have found it necessary and appreciated that truth.”

Austin Action Fest presented 15 awards to 40 select project submissions. “Finding Solace” composer Dave Wirth won Best Original Score. The next screening of “Finding Solace” will be at the San Antonio Black International Film Festival during the first weekend of October. Motivate Pictures intends to begin distributing and showcasing the movie at film festivals throughout the world. According to the studio’s Instagram, Motivate Pictures’ upcoming projects include “Cold Love,” a Mr.-and-Mrs.Smith-esque spy thriller set in 1980s Berlin, and “Blue,” a journey of a depressed girl’s last days.


Share
Rate

Ad
Colorado County Citizen
Ad
Ad