Movie about Southern Indiana Softball player set to release this summer

Erik Hackman, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·5 min read

Mar. 9—SOUTHERN INDIANA — Katelyn Pavey, a softball player with a condition that made her left arm stop growing around the elbow, will be featured along with her family in a movie about their life called "I Can." Pavey is from Lanesville, and currently attends Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. She is in her last year of college and is working on getting her degree in Christian Leadership. Since she is graduating from college soon, this will also be her last year playing softball. First Capital Christian Church, 305 Oliver St., Corydon, produced and filmed the movie in partnership with Kappa Studios which also handles production for "The Chosen." "I Can" will release nationally this summer, but a free red carpet event showing the movie will take place on April 3-4 at 5 p.m. 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Corydon Cinemas, 2025 Edsel Lane, Corydon. The movie will follow the story of how Pavey was born from an affair from two people that were in two separate relationships and how she grew up to become a softball player. "It's more of a redemption story," Pavey said. "A redemption story on how I was conceived and how I was born and it centered through my life growing up in sport."

Another topic of the movie will be about her parents dealing with the guilt of how Pavey was born and how they thought that Katelyn being born with one arm was a punishment from God for their affair. Filming took place in Lanesville High School, the YMCA fields in Corydon, a Baptist church in Louisville and more places around the Southern Indiana area. Finding actors and actresses to be in the film was one of the biggest challenges for the filmmakers. "We had to do a nationwide casting search," said Tyler Sansom, the film director. "The parameters of that search had to be that they looked enough like Katelyn that the real-life Katelyn could be the body double." Eventually they found Danner Brown, an actress from Columbus, Ohio, to play Katelyn Pavey in the movie. Anytime when Katelyn is playing softball in the movie, it is the real Katelyn that is playing. "She has the same color hair, they're virtually the same height," Sansom said. "They just look very similar, just not in the face. We had to do some movie magic on that one." While filming, the actress had to wear prosthetics on her arm and she had her arm tied behind her back for each of her scenes. Once the movie is done showing in theaters, it will be available to watch on stream. The movie producers are still working on a deal to get it on one of the streaming services. The movie has been entered in the International Christian Film Festival and has been nominated for the best director, best supporting actor and best picture categories. "We're hoping that this film can reach others, enrich people's lives and inspire as many people as we can and help them through their faith journey," Pavey said.

SOUTHERN INDIANA — Katelyn Pavey, a softball player with a condition that made her left arm stop growing around the elbow, will be featured along with her family in a movie about their life called "I Can."

Pavey is from Lanesville, and currently attends Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. She is in her last year of college and is working on getting her degree in Christian Leadership.

Since she is graduating from college soon, this will also be her last year playing softball.

First Capital Christian Church, 305 Oliver St., Corydon, produced and filmed the movie in partnership with Kappa Studios which also handles production for "The Chosen."

"I Can" will release nationally this summer, but a free red carpet event showing the movie will take place on April 3-4 at 5 p.m. 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Corydon Cinemas, 2025 Edsel Lane, Corydon.

The movie will follow the story of how Pavey was born from an affair from two people that were in two separate relationships and how she grew up to become a softball player.

"It's more of a redemption story," Pavey said. "A redemption story on how I was conceived and how I was born and it centered through my life growing up in sport."

Another topic of the movie will be about her parents dealing with the guilt of how Pavey was born and how they thought that Katelyn being born with one arm was a punishment from God for their affair.

Filming took place in Lanesville High School, the YMCA fields in Corydon, a Baptist church in Louisville and more places around the Southern Indiana area.

Finding actors and actresses to be in the film was one of the biggest challenges for the filmmakers.

"We had to do a nationwide casting search," said Tyler Sansom, the film director. "The parameters of that search had to be that they looked enough like Katelyn that the real-life Katelyn could be the body double."

Eventually they found Danner Brown, an actress from Columbus, Ohio, to play Katelyn Pavey in the movie. Anytime when Katelyn is playing softball in the movie, it is the real Katelyn that is playing.

"She has the same color hair, they're virtually the same height," Sansom said. "They just look very similar, just not in the face. We had to do some movie magic on that one."

While filming, the actress had to wear prosthetics on her arm and she had her arm tied behind her back for each of her scenes.

Once the movie is done showing in theaters, it will be available to watch on stream. The movie producers are still working on a deal to get it on one of the streaming services.

The movie has been entered in the International Christian Film Festival and has been nominated for the best director, best supporting actor and best picture categories.

"We're hoping that this film can reach others, enrich people's lives and inspire as many people as we can and help them through their faith journey," Pavey said.