A former Lakeland youth pastor has taken a leap of faith and jumped into the movie industry.

  • Kevin O'Brien just wrapped up filming in Lakeland
  • The director is originally from Lakeland
  • Movie focuses on LGBT community's realtionship with the church

Kevin O’Brien has filmed his first feature length film in Lakeland. He's hoping it makes it to the big screen.

The film,  “At The End of The Day,” is a dramatic comedy that explores the tensions between the church and the LGBT community.

“The movie is about a professor at a Christian college, conservative professor who finds himself in a gay support group trying to stop their launch of an LGBT youth shelter,” said Kevin O’Brien, who wrote and is directing the film.

O’Brien thought his hometown of Lakeland was the perfect place to shoot the movie.

“It's an up-and-coming city,” said Kevin O’Brien. "It wants to be recognized as a bigger city, but it’s still got a little bit of push back, so it's a good back drop for the kind of collision of ideals that happen in this movie.”

Budgetary constraints were another reason O’Brien decided to shoot the film in Lakeland.

“So many people came together to support this movie,” O’Brien said. “From donating locations or their time.”

Muhammad Javed was one of the people who donated space at his business.

“It’s just like fun," said Javed, a gas station owner. "It’s first time in my life I’m watching live everything."

The lead actor in the film is Stephen Martin, who previously played a small role in the television series, “Sleepy Hollow.”

He said he enjoyed his time in the Swan City.

“You know I was surprised," said Martin. "It’s a very charming town. Their downtown is absolutely beautiful. I’ve been able to dine out a little bit. Love their little coffee shops.”

Filming for the film concluded Friday. O’Brien hopes to have the movie edited and submitted to major film festivals by the end of the summer.

He has an online fundraising campaign to help pay for the post-production expenses.