In this episode of the Hard Faith Podcast, host Spencer Folmar sits down with filmmaker and cinematographer Sean Malone, whose striking black-and-white short film Grand Canyon won second place at this year’s Hard Faith Film Festival in Hollywood.

Sean shares the deeply personal inspiration behind Grand Canyon, a film born out of the isolation, grief, and spiritual weight many experienced during the COVID era. Framed like a psalm of lament, the film follows a widowed minister struggling to hold onto faith amid darkness, division, and despair — ultimately becoming a cinematic prayer and cry out to God.

The conversation expands into Sean’s love of cinema, his influences ranging from Spielberg to Lawrence of Arabia, and his journey as an artist who wants filmmaking to carry real spiritual substance. Sean and Spencer reflect on the importance of theology in storytelling — not making films that feel preachy, but honest stories that still center Christian hope.

Sean also speaks candidly about his own faith journey, including seasons of depression, suffering, and slow spiritual growth — emphasizing that Christians may walk through valleys, but never without hope. Together, Spencer and Sean explore how hardship shapes character, how faith matures over time, and why art should ultimately point beyond ourselves to Christ.

Finally, Sean reflects on the unique spirit of Hard Faith Fest: a community marked not by transaction, but by love, dignity, and the belief that artists are made in the image of God. He shares plans for a possible Grand Canyon sequel and encourages listeners to keep creating meaningful work rooted in truth and redemption.

In the Season 4 premiere of the Hard Faith Podcast, host Spencer Folmar welcomes back the show’s only recurring guest across every season, Nathan Clarkson, for a wide-ranging conversation on faith, honesty, and storytelling.

The episode centers on Nathan’s new book I’m the Worst: Freedom Is Found in Admitting Our Faults, which explores the personal and cultural consequences of refusing to acknowledge our own brokenness. Nathan shares how years of maintaining a polished Christian image hid deeper fear, doubt, and pain—and how facing that darkness became a bridge to healing rather than the end of his story.

Together, Spencer and Nathan discuss why Christians should be the first to admit their need for a Savior, how denial fuels division in culture and politics, and why much faith-based art fails when it avoids the reality of sin, suffering, and moral complexity. Drawing from Scripture, personal experience, filmmaking, and theology, they argue that honest art has the power to confront darkness while still pointing toward redemption.

This episode sets the tone for Season 4 by affirming a core Hard Faith conviction: life is hard, God is good, and truth-telling—both in art and in life—is essential to freedom and faithfulness.

On the Season 3 finale of the Hard Faith Podcast, Spencer Folmar is joined by his wife and Hard Faith COO, McKenna Folmar, for a candid end-of-year reflection that closes out 2025 and looks ahead to what God may be preparing in 2026. Together, they unpack a year marked by both deep suffering and unexpected fruit—sharing openly about loss, perseverance, and why Hard Faith continues to exist for artists who feel unseen, constrained, or displaced by traditional faith spaces.

The episode recaps major milestones from the past year, including the first-ever Hard Faith regional event in New York City, which sold out theaters, overflowed its awards show, and confirmed a growing hunger for honest, unfiltered faith-driven storytelling on both coasts. Spencer and McKenna reflect on the leap of faith it took to pull off the NYC festival in just a few months, the supernatural sense of unity that marked the event, and how Hard Faith has become a gathering place where filmmakers find community, collaboration, and courage.

Looking forward, they announce key plans for Hard Faith Fest LA 2026 (June 25–28)—a four-day event in Hollywood themed “Do Not Fear,” featuring expanded workshops, live music, worship, commissioning, and new artistic categories. The conversation also previews upcoming books, original Hard Faith film projects, additional regional and international events under prayerful consideration, and the continued growth of the podcast into Season 4.

More than an update, this finale is an invitation—to pray, to partner, and to step into a movement committed to telling stories that liberate and bringing the Gospel to the lost sheep through art. As the year closes, Spencer and McKenna share their hearts, their gratitude, and their hope for what lies ahead, trusting God’s direction one step at a time.