David G. Evans

David G. Evans made his debut as a film director with the 2011 drama "The Grace Card." A religious-themed family drama aimed at theaters in southern and midwestern America, "The Grace Card" concerns the unraveling of Memphis policeman Mac McDonald (Michael Joiner) following the death of one of his two children, and his spiritual rebirth with the help of his new beat partner Sam Wright (Michael Higgenbottom), who feels conflicted about his chosen path as a pastor and his potentially more socially and spiritually useful career as a policeman. This sort of low-budget spiritual drama has been a mainstay of American film, especially in the African-American community, for decades: what's perhaps most impressive about Evans' first film as a director is his near-total lack of experience in the film industry. Prior to "The Grace Card," Evans was best known as a popular pastor in his native Memphis, with a day job as an optometrist catering to his local community. Along with his role as director, Evans was in charge of casting "The Grace Card," which is headed by movie star Louis Gossett, Jr. as Sam's powerful father George Wright. With a crew consisting largely of volunteers from Evans's church, the film was shot with a budget of only $200,000.