“Far From Ascencion” is produced by Nelson Nyman and Donavan Kerr.

Donavan & Nelson

It was written, shot, and directed by Donavan Kerr.

The two Chicago natives met in first grade and began working on numerous short videos over the years, as they attended school together through junior high. They later graduated as college roommates in 1996 from Anderson University where Donavan studied film and video.

Donavan made his directorial debut with the feature film Standing Upright, which premiered at the Zero Film Festival in Los Angeles in December 2008. Around that time, he was laid off from his position as a jet charter pilot in Nashville, so, in order to fill his free-time between job searches, he decided to rework a thirty page script he had written while working in New Mexico two years earlier. It was a fictitious account of a tight-knit group of Mexicans crossing the border into New Mexico, and was inspired by a photo he had seen in a newspaper . The picture was of a group of young Mexican men walking off into the rugged desert as seen from behind, and the part that struck Donavan was the large water jug being clutched by the last man in the line, who had turned to look back at the photographer. That image was the impetus for what turned out to be a 100 page script entitled Far From Ascencion. When Nelson agreed to help produce with only two months’ notice, Donavan was off and running with his second feature. Far From Ascencion is Nelson’ s first feature film.

Donavan has been an audio engineer, radio producer, pastor and commercial pilot. He is a husband as well as a father of six. Nelson is a world traveler/adventurer and currently serves on the full-time staff of Youth With a Mission in New Zealand. The two hope to work together again soon.

Written By Donavan Kerr