Grace Unplugged, one of the most praised and beloved Christian films of 2013, earned its greatest industry honor thus far over the weekend, taking home the top prize at Movieguide’s 22nd Annual Faith and Family Awards.
The movie, coming to Blu-Ray combo pack and DVD Tuesday from Lionsgate Home Entertainment, captured the coveted Epiphany Prize as the Most Inspiring Film of the Year, beating out such box-office powerhouses as Man of Steel and 42. The victory puts Grace Unplugged in the company of such past winners as Les Miserables, The Blind Side, The Passion of the Christ, Fireproof, The Nativity Story, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Amistad and Courageous.
“What an exciting and humbling honor,” said Brad J. Silverman, who wrote and directed Grace Unplugged. “Our goal from the beginning was to make a movie that would entertain and inspire families – and to have Movieguide recognize us for doing just that is more special than I can put into words.”
In addition to the Epiphany Prize, Grace Unplugged took home two other awards: Best Film Actress for AJ Michalka and Best Film Actor for James Denton. The movie was also nominated as Family Film of the Year.
Grace Unplugged tells the story of teenager Grace Trey (Michalka, a former Disney Channel star) whose faith and family ties are put to the test when her dreams of becoming a music star start to come true. Against the wishes of her overly protective father (Denton, Desperate Housewives), she runs away from home to chase her musical dreams. While her father puts his faith in God to watch over his daughter, only Grace can decide if she will take the road leading to fame and fortune ... or find her way back to her faith and family?
“The stories of Dad and Grace go hand-in-hand,” Silverman explains. “The journey Grace goes on is one that’s a big issue in churches today – kids growing up and struggling with making their faith their own. The theme for Dad is, sometimes, as parents, there's not much we can do but trust God to take care of our kids.”
The film also stars Kevin Pollak (A Few Good Men), Michael Welch (The Twilight franchise) and Shawnee Smith (TV’s “Anger Management”) and features special appearances by Christian music artists Chris Tomlin and Jamie Grace.
During its fall theatrical run, Grace Unplugged was the #1 fan-rated rated movie for two weeks straight on Fandango. Critics raved about it as well, with Focus on the Family calling it a “moving and meaningful film parents and teens should see together” and Crosswalk.com hailing it as being filled with “winning performances, a wonderful musical score and a strong message of God’s grace, love and forgiveness.”
The Grace Unplugged Blu-ray combo pack and DVD bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette, a gag reel and deleted scenes. The Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $24.99 and $19.98, respectively.
BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES*
- “Own It: Making of Grace Unplugged” featurette
- “Gags” reel
- Deleted Scenes
Read our movie review of Grace Unplugged
