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Separated by time. United in calling.

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A True Story. Revisited.

A theater student stages a play about Civil War veteran Major James Coker’s work to rebuild his shattered community, igniting a reckoning over race, history, and redemption.

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Synopsis

A forgotten hero. A fractured time. A quest for unity.

Against the backdrop of 2020, a year of disruption, isolation, and social upheaval, The Major centers on a college actor staging a play about Major James Lide Coker, a Confederate veteran who became a forward-thinking reformer, an advocate for racial and educational progress, and one of South Carolina’s most influential entrepreneurs.

What begins as a simple school project spirals into a personal and generational reckoning, forcing a confrontation with the past and its power to wound or to heal.

Told through three interwoven storylines—present day, historical flashbacks, and the onstage performance itself—this powerful story speaks to a world hungry for meaning, dialogue, and hope.

Cast of Characters

NOTE: The following AI-generated images are meant to illustrate the look of each character, the film will use real-life actors for all roles.

MODERN-DAY NARRATIVE

Set against the turmoil of 2020, the modern characters in The Major grapple with cultural tension, personal identity, and the search for meaning in a divided world. Their relationships, doubts, and convictions collide as Jacob’s stage play forces them to confront uncomfortable truths about history, their faith, and themselves. Through their stories, we see the urgency and relevance of the film’s themes in our own time.

Jacob Solomon Pinckney

A Coker University theater student whose play about Major Coker sparks controversy. Struggling with self-doubt and public pressure, Jacob’s journey becomes one of faith, reconciliation, and self-discovery.

Candy Aiken

Jacob’s girlfriend, a biracial student of sociology and dance, is a force to behold. Torn between love, conviction, and cultural pressure, she embodies the modern struggle between identity and unity.

Malcolm Washington

Candy’s older half-brother, a young professional at Sonoco, the global company founded by Major Coker. His skepticism toward Jacob’s project mirrors his own conflict between justice and forgiveness.

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Juan Valdez

Jacob’s roommate, classmate, and closest friend. He's a quick-witted stand-up comic who uses humor to defuse the chaos around him, yet often reveals truths others have a hard time putting into words.

Chris Aiken

Candy’s dad, a thoughtful and steady presence shaped by his experience at Charleston’s Mother Emanuel Church. His commitment to forgiveness helps guide Jacob and Candy to face cultural tension.

Rebekah Aiken

Candy’s mother, warm-hearted and perceptive, she embodies strength and humility. Rebekah's wisdom and compassion helps guide Candy and, ultimately, Jacob toward understanding, healing, and unity.

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE

The historical figures in The Major reveal the real-life legacy of James Lide Coker — a man shaped by war, loss, and an unwavering commitment to rebuild what was broken. These characters reflect the struggles and hopes of a South emerging from devastation, and their lives offer a powerful counterpoint to the modern storyline. Through them, the film explores the enduring impact of courage, redemption, and reconciliation across generations.

Major James Lide Coker

Wounded in war and walking with a shattered femur, he built businesses, founded Coker University, and worked toward racial and educational progress long before it was popular.

Sue Coker

James Coker’s devoted wife and moral compass. Her faith and steadiness sustain the family through multiple tragedies and she plays a key role in rebuilding their legacy in the postwar South.

Tom Hart

James’s closest friend at The Citadel. Loyal, principled, and steady. He becomes both a companion in hardship and a moral anchor in James’s early life, including a life-and-death confrontation with a military leader.

York (70's)

York, James’s longtime friend, left South Carolina during the Civil War seeking freedom. Decades later, his return brought grace and healing, proving that brotherhood transcends blood, race, and time.

Caleb Coker

James’s no-nonsense father, a successful plantation owner whose traditional views reflect the contradictions of the Old South and the legacy James must confront as he makes his own way in a changing world.

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Hannah Lide Coker

James’s mother, a woman of strong faith and quiet resolve whose guidance shaped his young conscience. She crossed battlefields to reach him and nursed him back to life during his darkest hour.

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James L. Coker (20's)

As a young man, James studied at The Citadel, South Carolina's military academy, and later at Harvard's Lawrence Scientific School, experiences that shaped his character and prepared him for success.

James L. Coker (childhood)

As a young boy, James's focus was on his studies, work, and play, often with his friend York. Their exploits included hunting quail, fishing, and swimming in the cool river away from the harsh realities of slavery.

York (childhood)

Born into slavery on the Coker plantation, he and young James forge an unlikely friendship, working the fields, fishing and swimming in the summer heat, and hunting for quail with the aide of James’ falcon.

The Book

The Major is a feature-length motion picture written by Joaquin Fernandez that explores the extraordinary life and legacy of Civil War Major James Lide Coker of Hartsville, South Carolina, through a powerful modern-day lens. Based on the biography, God, Guts, and Gallantry: The Faith, Courage, and Accomplishments of Major James Lide Coker, by Amazon best-selling author, Dr. Will Joslin, Coker's great-grandson, the film intertwines historical and contemporary elements to create a layered, emotionally resonant narrative.

The Major’s Faith

Major Coker and his wife, Sue, led the Sunday School program at their church for more than four decades, playing a vital role in its growth and spiritual health.

This short video, created to commemorate the 175th anniversary of First Baptist Church of Hartsville, South Carolina, offers a glimpse into his enduring leadership and service.

Major Coker mini-documentary

Media

The Filmmakers

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Joaquin Fernandez

Writer/Director

Joaquin Fernandez is an award-winning filmmaker known for socially relevant storytelling that explores culture, faith, and the human cost of broken systems. He is the founder of Great Commission Films and studied filmmaking at New York University. His work has taken him across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Africa.

His credits include multiple feature-length documentaries that address social issues such as public education and the opioid crisis. He also films regularly on the front lines of humanitarian crises, producing character-driven stories for Samaritan’s Purse.

Joaquin is the screenwriter and director of The Major, a project that reflects his passion for historical storytelling rooted in truth, reconciliation, and renewal. He was drawn to the life of Major Coker for its relevance to today’s cultural divisions and its enduring message of rebuilding with purpose and grace.

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Will Joslin

Executive Producer, Author

After a dramatic Christian conversion while a pre-law student at UNC–Chapel Hill, Will Joslin redirected his life toward ministry, turning down law school to serve full-time for the next 17 years. He later spent 24 years in business, primarily running his own IT consulting firm, Joslin Computer Solutions. Today, Will and his wife, Becky, have returned to part-time ministry as he focuses on writing and teaching.

In addition to ministry and entrepreneurship, Will has taught extensively on leadership, led men’s groups, and coached basketball and golf. He is a graduate of UNC–Chapel Hill, holds a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and earned a Doctor of Sacred Literature degree from Wycliffe Theological Seminary. He enjoys golf, swimming, and sailing.

As the author of God, Guts, and Gallantry, Will brings rigorous scholarship to the film, ensuring historical accuracy while helping translate Major Coker’s life and legacy for a modern audience.

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Joseph Yacoe

Cinematographer

Joseph Yacoe is an award-winning Director of Photography whose career spans decades of commercial and music-video work for some of the world’s most iconic brands and artists.

Joseph has collaborated with filmmakers David Fincher, Kathryn Bigelow, Joel Schumacher, and Baz Luhrmann, among others. His work has earned top honors, including Cannes Lions' Gold and Silver, CLIO Awards, and Best Cinematography at the British Advertising Awards for Michael Jackson’s Stranger in Moscow. Other credits include music videos for Jennifer Lopez, Lauryn Hill, Elton John, Mariah Carey, and Aerosmith, as well as global campaigns for COVERGIRL, BMW, Nike, Levi’s, Coca-Cola, Sony, Visa, and McDonald’s.

Joseph’s work is known for its cinematic polish and visual sophistication, bringing emotional depth to The Major while remaining grounded in character and authenticity.

Want to partner with us?

You can be a part of movie-making history! We are currently raising funds to produce a 10-minute short film based on the feature-length screenplay for The Major, and we would be grateful for your support and encouragement.

Contact us below to partner with us!

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