South High grad's feature film debuts nationwide Friday

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Stan Foster

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

Vindicator Entertainment Writer

“Preacher’s Kid,” the second feature-length film directed by Youngstown native Stan Foster and easily his biggest, will be released nationwide Friday.

The Warner Bros. picture (PG-13) will be on 350 screens in its first week, including Cinema South in Boardman.

It’s about a girl who joins a traveling gospel stage play. “She’s a sheltered pastor’s daughter, searching for fame, fortune and freedom,” said Foster said in an interview with The Vindicator. “But she gets more than she bargained for.”

Foster called the film a coming-of-age story.

Letoya Luckett, a former member of Destiny’s Child, the vocal group fronted by Beyonce, plays the lead role. “Preacher’s Kid” is her first film.

The film also stars R&B singer Durrell “Tank” Babbs, also in his screen debut.

“I surrounded [Luckett and Babbs] with veteran actors,” said Foster. The cast includes Clifton Posell, Greg Allan Williams, Reagan Kelly and Tammy Townsend.

“Preacher’s Kid” premiered last year at the American Black Film Festival in Miami, where it received a standing ovation. “[Actor] Robert Townsend said ‘every frame was delicious,’” said Foster.

“I’m still kind of amazed at the success of it,” he continued. “You go with your gut and what feels right. I did something that I wasn’t sure I could do and came through with flying colors.”

Before filming started, Foster was so nervous that he actually practiced saying “Cut” and “Action.”

“Fifteen minutes into making the film, I felt like I had been directing my whole life,” he said.

Foster wrote, directed and produced it. “The studio let me make my movie, without interference,” he said. “I’ve heard horror stories about rookie directors being replaced if they fall behind.”

Foster’s first film, 2004’s “Woman Thou Art Loosed,” was the winner at the ABFF.

“Preacher’s Kid” was shot in Atlanta and had a budget between $4 million and $5 million.

Although it is targeting the urban demographic, the film tested well with people of all ages and religions, as well as genders and ages, said Foster.

“I screened it for religious groups,” he said. “But it’s not preachy. It’s a father-daughter story that everyone relates to.

Foster, a 1978 graduate of South High School, never took a single class in acting, writing or directing. His talent comes naturally.

He can pinpoint the exact moment when he first knew he wanted to be in the movie business: it was after seeing the film “Cooley High” at the old Paramount Theater in downtown Youngstown. He was in eighth grade at the time.

“That was the movie that made me want to go into the entertainment business,” he said. “When I can, I use people from that film in my own. It’s my homage to that film.”

Foster moved to California in the ’80s and started acting. He landed high-profile roles in the films “Wildcats” (1986) and “Action Jackson” (1988).

He also had the recurring role of Sgt. Marvin Johnson in the CBS series “Tour of Duty” in 1988-89.

He started writing in 1992, and has since sold pilots to almost every network, although few have been produced. He got a deal with Sony to develop TV shows, and his comedy “Homeboys in Space” was on UPN for one season.

Foster still visits Youngstown often. “It will always be home,” he said. “My dream is to shoot a production here. I have a few ideas that center around Youngstown.”

Youngstown references, including streets and people, find their way into all of Foster’s films, and “Preacher’s Kid” is no exception. In one scene, the gospel troupe stops at Powers Auditorium in Youngstown (another theater was actually used for the scene).

“I’m always going to let everyone know where I’m from,” he said.

For a preview of the film, click here.

"Preacher's Kid" online: