Filming for “The First Rosa” — a documentary about Lutheran black-ministry pioneer Rosa Jinsey Young — got underway Sept. 22-26 in and around Selma, Ala.
The project pays tribute to the church confessor who established some 30 Lutheran schools and 35 chapels in that area of the country during the early 1900s. It is partially funded by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod but needs continued donations to complete the film.
To read a Reporter Online story about the project and its director, the Rev. Dr. Ardon Albrecht, click here.
See photos from the fall filming below (to view, click on photo). All photos are by Erik M. Lunsford, photojournalist and a staff writer with LCMS Communications. To see more photos, go to
Actress Yvette Jones-Smedley — in the role of Rosa Young — waits for direction during filming of “The First Rosa” near Selma, Ala.
Director of Photography Ben DeSousa checks focus for an upcoming shot.
Sunset falls on the Old Depot Museum in Selma, Ala., as filming on Sept. 23 wraps.
Production assistant Amanda Booth slates the beginning of a take with actors dressed as Ku Klux Klan members.
Actor Greg Thornton, in the role of Lutheran missionary Rev. Nils J. Bakke, prepares to place the sign of the cross on the forehead of Jasmine Gatewood, an actress portraying Rosa Young as a youth.
Ben DeSousa (center) director of photography, watches intently as Yvette Jones-Smedley performs the role of Rosa Young.
From left, engineer Mike Budzik, director of photography Ben DeSousa and camera operator Al Dowbnia run with a horse and buggy for a scene on Sept. 25.
