Gary Mazeffa wanted a cathedral when shooting his film “Asherah: A Love Odyssey.”
“We spent four to five months looking. We went to church more than some people do in a lifetime,” said Mazeffa, the film’s writer and producer, who is in town this weekend for a private screening of the film at Sacred Heart.
He started scouting locations on the West Coast but turned his attention to Atlanta. A meeting with Film Augusta’s Jennifer Bowen at the American Film Market led him to Augusta’s Sacred Heart Cultural Center.
“As soon as we walked in, we were sold,” he said.
The setting was perfect for his fantasy adventure film featuring the journey of the main character Asherah at the ages of 12, 18 and 28. Unlike other superhero films, “Asherah” emphasizes the potential of human beings as imperfect but able to create good and with the ability to save themselves because no one is coming to save them
It has a mythical/spiritual element as well that Sacred Heart augmented. The former church played such a huge role that Mazeffa considered it as one of the film’s characters.
Sacred Heart was built as a Catholic church. The first service was Dec. 2, 1900; the last mass was held in Sacred Heart on July 3, 1971. It was decommissioned. After falling into disrepair, the building was saved from the wrecking ball and turned into a cultural center, opening in 1987.
“The architecture which you just cannot replicate today, along with its stained-glass windows and high altar…it just had the ‘wow’ factor,” he said.
Another selling point was the confessional area and the side doors which he had written for the character to enter, even before finding a location. Everything, except for the lack of pews which was accommodated for by renting them, was as he’d imagined for the script.
He wrote a dreamlike ball sequence into the film to highlight the open Great Hall.
And working with Millie Huff, the center’s executive director, was a pleasure.
“Sacred Heart has a lot of engagements. She allowed us to utilize the facility whenever she could fit us in,” he said.
Mazeffa filmed Asherah in Augusta last March and said the city of Augusta was accommodating in so many ways.
Much of the film crew is based in the area as well, and the local screening is for them. He was impressed not only with their professionalism and knowledge, but there was a level of pride in what they did. They didn’t just punch a clock every day, he said. They put themselves into the work and were emotionally invested.
“Asherah: A Love Odyssey” took Mazeffa about eight years to develop.
He’d watched as other films focused on ”moral decay, dystopia, anti-heroes and institutional failure.”
While these elements do exist, he wanted to focus on the potential to create positive change. The character of Asherah has an unattainable ultimate goal, but propelling herself to that goal will create good along the way.
Mazeffa said the movie will be part of the film festival circuit and will premiere at the Cannes Marché du Film in May 2026. He said there will be opportunities to view the film, but he doesn’t have details yet.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named Augusta Magazine’s best local writer in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
This is a great story! I remember going to Sacred Heart every so often as a child. I always felt like it was SO big and pretty☺️. How much do you remember as a year old, rght? Although, I do remember that going in there made me feel special! The stained glass made pretty shapes on the floor (remember, 4 year old brain).
Based on the nuggets the writer/director shared, I can’t wait to see this film!