Local Story To Become Feature Film

"I think Stan Deen was a remarkable man in the way he encouraged and helped other people," said Dale Bradley of Inspiring Films. "He defined his life with that." Dale has moved to Lancaster to make "Brave the Dark," the story of the late Garden Spot High School (GSHS) teacher Stan Deen and the troubled young man he took in during the 1980s, Nate Busko, now Nate Deen. "But there are lots of men and women like that, so this is an everyman story," continued Dale, who runs Inspiring Films with his brother Grant. "Good movies need to resonate with people," he added. "You need to know people like (the characters in the film) or be like (them) or wish you were like (them)."

Grant discovered the true story behind the film about five years ago when visiting Lancaster County looking for possible film subjects. He met Nate, who works at Sight & Sound, and heard his story. Nate was orphaned at a young age after a tragedy involving his parents. He became part of the foster care system, eventually leaving as a teenager only to find himself homeless living in the car he had purchased with wages from a part-time job. Nate was using school showers and eating raw corn on the cob from the fields where he parked his car at night when Stan offered him a chocolate bar after class. When Nate found himself in jail only weeks later, Stan visited him, offering him a place to live and a second chance.

"Brave the Dark" will begin filming in Lancaster this month, with scenes due to be shot at GSHS on weekends and holidays. Derek Dienner of Make/Films, who knew Stan, knows Nate, and graduated from GSHS in 2003, is co-producing with Inspiring Films to be sure Lancaster County authenticity and flavor are in the mix. To that end, Dienner has talked to the current owner of the Ritz in New Holland about including the marquis in some scenes and to ELANCO School District about using a retro gymnasium located in the middle school.

Dienner reported that a chain of talented writers, directors, and actors has formed around the script for the story. "Grant got the script to director Damian Harris, who fell in love with it and brought it to Joe McDougal, who is now assistant director, and he got Julio Macat, director of photography (involved)," explained Dienner. The movie will star Jared Harris as Stan, and Nicholas Hamilton as Nate.

Residents of Lancaster County who knew Stan have risen to the occasion, reporting on how the Garden Spot Performing Arts founder influenced their lives. "A lot of the people who were impacted by Stan are involved in some way in this film," said Dienner. "This movie is getting made because everyone knows who Stan was." Dienner added that at the heart of the film is the importance of fatherhood. "That's what it's about," he said. "It shows the love of a father."

This is Make/Films' first feature film, and having the chance to work with a story that packs meaningful influence is important to Dienner. "(This story) has the potential to bring the fatherhood of Stan and the (redeemed) character of Nate to the world in a way that can make people say, 'I can make a difference,'" he said. "What better way to start?"