Kevin and Bobby Downes have worked themselves into an interesting position in the Christian film market.

Now, with the release of Like Dandelion Dust, they have also worked themselves into a whole slate of awards from the mainstream indie film industry.

While producing their first film, The Moment After, more than a decade ago, they discovered one of the hard realities of filmmaking: It's not enough to complete the project. You also have to get it in front of moviegoers... and that's not at all easy! For Bobby and Kevin, one key part of the solution was starting their own website to bring their DVD straight to consumers. That website was ChristianCinema.com, now one of the largest and most successful niche-market websites around.

Over the years—as Kevin has gone on to write and direct Six: The Mark Unleashed, produce films like Mercy Streets, Midnight Clear, and The List with his brother Bobby, and act in others such as Birdie and Bogey, Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius, and the upcoming Courageous—the Downes brothers' range of influence has expanded greatly... both onscreen and behind it. In a recent telephone interview, Kevin confirmed for me that he's very pleased that his chosen ministry has put him in the company of a new generation of Christian filmmakers that includes Gary Wheeler, David A.R. White, Mark Freiburger, Tracy Trost, Chad Gundersen, and Dallas Jenkins—among others. From where I sit as a critic, the Downes brothers are part of a movement that's producing first-rate entertainment which nonetheless reflects a solid Christian worldview... sans the cheese and sermons. But Kevin sees himself as part of an even broader movement: "We all have a different technique to tell a story and bring a film to the screen," he elaborates, "yet our purpose is still the same... to bring Glory to God. It's a small space and my goal is to uplift everyone."

And in the same way that Rich Christiano and Ralph Winter helped guide Kevin and Bobby through the pitfalls and adventures of indie filmmaking on the fringes of Hollywood, Kevin is excited to be able to play a similar role for Jon Gunn, sophomore director of the Downes' latest project, Like Dandelion Dust.

Adapted from a Karen Kingsbury novel, with close supervision and involvement from the author, Dust tells the difficult story of an adoption gone wrong when the birth parents find a legal basis for their efforts to reclaim their son. On the film festival circuit, the film has won awards for stars Mira Sorvino and Barry Pepper, director Gunn, and a number of jury and production awards at the Deauville Film Festival, the Heartland Film Festival, the Las Vegas International Film Festival, New York VisionFest, the San Diego Film Festival, the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, the Sedona International Film Festival, and the Sonoma Valley Film Festival, among others.

So the big question is: in breaking out of the so-called "Christian ghetto" and making it into the mainstream with name stars like Pepper and Sorvino, and A-list screenwriters like Stephen J. Rivele (Ali and Nixon), has Downes watered down his objectives? Not that I can see. Instead, the success has been a natural consequence of developing a "solid track record" of "credible partnerships with other filmmakers," as Kevin has put it.

"Most people know my faith," he said in a Christian Cinema interview a couple of years ago. "It comes with me. Being a filmmaker doesn't define me; being a Christian defines me and everything I do. ... I have to ask myself: 'Ultimately, is God glorified in what I do?' To be fulfilled as a filmmaker, I don't necessarily have to make evangelical movies, but I do have to make movies that are expanding His kingdom."

From that perspective, Like Dandelion Dust is a logical and consistent step. Excellence breeds respect—and everyone wants to be associated with a winner... especially in Hollywood.

I highly recommend catching Dandelion Dust while it's in theaters. I think you'll find the story and performances riveting—and don't be surprised if Sorvino finds herself on the Oscar shortlist again.