When they first screened their movie “Beware of Christians” at the Lakewood Theater last April, they weren’t sure what to expect from the hometown crowd. (You’ll recall I blogged about it here and they were featured in Advocate Magazine back then.)

Since then, they’ve had an overwhelming response from folks who enjoyed and were touched by the film, which follows four college-age boys traveling around Europe, exploring their faith.

Sign up for our newsletter

* indicates required

As the film earned good reviews from Gary Cogill and other professionals, makers Michael Allen, Will Bakke, Alex Carroll and Matt Owen investigated working with a third-party film distributor so their work could be seen all over the world. In the end, though, they opted to start their own company and Riot Studios was born.

Now the guys are beginning a three-part campaign to share their movie. They’re looking for invitations from campus organizations, churches and community groups to screen the film in towns all over America. They’re encouraging folks to pre-order the DVD and name-your-price, and the film will arrive in your mailbox in May. And they’re asking for financial contributions from individuals, groups and churches who appreciate the effect their film will have on a new generation of young people unlikely to set foot in a traditional church setting. More info is available here.

“The response to Beware of Christians has been amazing, and we have high hopes and expectations for this campaign,” said Michael Allen, who grew up in Lakewood and has graduated from Texas A&M and gotten married since making the movie. “We are looking forward to traveling around the country this spring screening our film and speaking about our experiences making it.”