Stephen Gray
10 min read ⭑
“Movies have the unique ability to help shape culture through impact. They can pull us into a character’s struggle and make us feel like we’re part of it. God willing, my goal is to continue crafting films that can move us.”
What if this life isn’t all there is? What comes after death? Director, editor and producer Stephen Gray explores these very questions in After Death, a documentary featuring survivors of near-death experiences, scientists, doctors and New York Times bestselling authors. After its release in October 2023, After Deathbecame one of the highest-grossing faith-based documentaries in history, gaining recognition for its artful cinematography and captivating storytelling. Today, Stephen is joining us to share the inspiration behind his popular documentary — and what’s coming next.
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
I enjoy finding new restaurants and taking in new experiences with people. Winnipeg is a city in the center of Canada with a population of under a million and a small-town feel. Among the prairies, my hometown city has an oddly big food scene. At home, one of our go-to dishes to make is Ćevapi. My wife’s family comes from Croatia, and this southeastern European meat dish has brought us all together around a table for years. It reminds us of spending time with family in Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Germany.
Regarding our restaurant finds, my wife and I have spent quality time talking about life while enjoying incredibly tasty Ethiopian dishes at Kokeb. The same can be said of Siam’s Thai curry dishes, Stella’s breakfast sandwich, tapas at Hermanos, Pasquale’s Cannelloni di Ricotta, Chicken Souvlaki at Bellamy’s, grilled spring leeks at Deer + Almond, Nachos at Big Guy’s or Navratan Korma at Ivory.
Besides all of this delicious food, another go-to at home is simply ordering a large popcorn from a local Landmark or Cineplex theater. There’s something about the familiar scent of buttery popcorn that is so satisfying. It is one thing I have no self-control over. It also transports me to the excitement of going to the theaters in my youth, watching films like Jurassic Park, The Shawshank Redemption, The Sixth Sense, Saving Private Ryan, Fargo, The Matrix, Schindler’s List, Titanic and more. All these years later, I’ll sometimes order a large popcorn to enjoy at home with our two kids for a family movie night.
Matthijs Smit; Unsplash
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activity (or activities) do you love engaging in, which also help you find essential spiritual renewal?
Music grounds me, inspires me, calms me and motivates me all at the same time. It started in an empty garage one summer in Stonewall, a small town north of Winnipeg where I grew up. My best friend, Mat, and I decided to join forces and make music together. Mat had this obvious musical gift with his guitar ability, and I was doing my best on the drums. There was something about playing together in a room. At the time, we probably thought we sounded great. Today, as I look back, I appreciate how patient and gracious our neighbors must have been. Or maybe they had really good insulation that blocked out the noise. Eventually, we started writing our own music and found that writing in a group was a thrilling journey of self-discovery, passion and intuition.
Writing music opened the door to creative expression in my life. Over the next 15 years, the act of writing, playing music and performing in small towns across Canada became a profound outlet for my friends and me. There was this intense, tangible connection with the crowd at shows when we played. We started to write more songs with the audience in mind, practicing more and getting a set tighter with creative transitions between songs to make it a better experience at a show. I was always equally fascinated by the production and creative aspects of what was happening.
Throughout these two and a half decades, I’ve delved into genres ranging from alternative punk rock, emo, hardcore, metal and post-rock to contemporary worship music. To this day, my musical interests are broad and diverse, which I think helps serve as a continuous source of inspiration.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you hide it?
Everyone is broken in some way. A struggle I face deep down is never feeling good enough, which I think largely stems from experiences in my childhood. My wife is the most supportive and encouraging person I could ask for, so this feeling lives in juxtaposition.
Over the years, I’ve sometimes asked, “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?”
My best friend’s mother died when we were young. She was a bedrock for my friend and me. We were praying for healing and believed in healing, but she wasn’t healed. Many years later, my brother-in-law was tragically killed. My wife’s family are some of the most selfless people you could meet. They love God. They help those in need. And it was difficult to see them walk through the tragedy of losing a child and seeing my wife lose her only sibling. I think this question is a life-long challenge we’ll never get the full answer to, but my hope is in Christ.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?
I wrote and directed my first feature documentary called After Death, which explores what happens after we die, based on real near-death experiences conveyed by scientists, authors and survivors. From New York Times bestselling authors from titles like 90 Minutes in Heaven, Imagine Heaven and To Heaven and Back, we took a cinematic peek beyond the veil to examine the spiritual and scientific dimensions of mortality. The film was released in over 2,700 theaters, played in over 20 countries and became the highest-grossing faith-based documentary in history.
The why behind creating After Death was that it was born out of loss. Losing my brother-in-law caused me to reflect deeply on the faith I had growing up. Grief became the doorway that God walked us through, leading us to learn about people like Don Piper, Mary Neal, Dale Black, Howard Storm and John Burke. This began the seven-year journey of creating my first feature film, and stories had a profound, lasting impact on my faith.
As a filmmaker, I’m drawn to stories that provoke thought and encourage meaningful conversations. Movies have the unique ability to help shape culture through impact. They can pull us into a character’s struggle and make us feel like we’re part of it. God willing, my goal is to continue crafting films that can move us.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
When I’m conceptualizing, writing or editing how a story structure will unfold, music is the first thing that helps spark the imagination. When I’m listening to a soundtrack, playlist or my whole library, I always play it on Shuffle. The spontaneity (not having control) keeps it interesting and often leads me down paths I wouldn’t have thought to go creatively.
When I wrote the story arc for After Death, it sort out jumped out at me while I was reading multiple different stories. The connected pieces of stories and how they would all fit together is what I would attribute to God’s leading. I’ve found that same leading during the development of my next feature documentary when ideas flow out of many different disconnected spaces into a cohesive narrative arc.
On our first day of production on After Death, Mary Neal (author of To Heaven and Back) shared a really encouraging, insightful story with me. I’ll paraphrase. When she came back from her near-death experience, she knew she was supposed to tell her story. So she started to write it out even though she had never written a book before. Eventually, after finishing the book, she felt like her work was done and began sending it out to a few publishers. To her surprise, they weren’t interested in publishing the story. She was confused and discouraged. That’s when she turned to God and asked him to help. She was told she needed to tell her story, and she did all she could. God needed to do the rest. Shortly after, she reconnected with a friend she hadn’t seen in years who now works with a major publication. This friend asked Mary, “What’s new with you?” Later on, she got a call after her book was published. She was asked to share her story on the Oprah Winfrey show. Her encouragement was that we all can show up and do the best we can, but ultimately, it’s up to God to do the rest. I couldn’t control how many would show up and watch After Death once it was finished. As filmmakers, we create the best we can with what we’ve been given and let God do the rest.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you right now?
As a parent, it’s not always easy to get quiet time to spend with God alone in prayer. So for me, one of the ways I connect with God is on a drive. I’ll use my time driving to another city to get quiet time with God or play cinematic instrumental music to ponder and pray.
Another challenge in media is the necessity of working with tools that are hyper-distracting by design — social media and internet-connected devices. A helpful change more recently has been to switch the screen to greyscale, which effectively reduces the desire for habitual status checks on various apps. Some studies indicate there’s a 50% drop-off in use when switching over to greyscale. I’ve also been more intentional with my mornings. I don’t check my phone first thing, and I focus on being present with my family before beginning the workday when I’m home.
I used to mostly read through digital devices, and I’ve gradually been moving toward physical, printed paper. Reading God’s Word in printed form feels more intentional.
The other way I connect with God is through playing music, which I sometimes get the opportunity to do with a worship band at our church.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed the game and changed your heart? What radically altered your life? What changed your reality?
At one of the lowest points in my life, faced with grief and unanswered questions, the radio broadcast voice of Chuck (Charles) Swindoll from Insight for Living Ministries was a welcomed beacon of light during the dark night of the soul. Chuck’s sermons are inspiring, uplifting, and thought provoking. I cherish this ministry. Often, I’m left thinking about what was discussed for days after.
The Bible Project is another helpful resource. Recently, I’ve really enjoyed their lessons. Their videos are incredibly well crafted, and they have a unique ability to break down complex spiritual concepts and Scriptures in understandable ways. They’ve been fantastic to go through as a family.
Books that have left me with a lot to think about in life:
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
The Unseen Realm by Michael S. Heiser
Imagine the God of Heaven by John Burke
7 Lessons from Heaven by Mary C. Neal
The Case for Miracles by Lee Strobel
Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull
Films that have impacted me over the years include The Sound of Music (1965), The Mission (1986), Schindler’s List (1993), Braveheart (1995), The Passion of the Christ (2004), The Tree of Life (2011), Silence (2016), Jesus Revolution (2023).
We all have things we cling to to survive (or even thrive) in tough times—times like these! Name one resource you’re savoring and/or finding indispensable in this current season, and tell us what it’s doing for you.
An app that I find incredibly helpful right now is Abide, which I use for sleep stories to help fall asleep, morning prayers and devotionals.
QUESTION #8: dream
God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
Every so often, a revolutionary product alters how we interact with the world around us. My next feature documentary will explore internet-connected devices’ impact on society. The average teenager in the U.S. spends seven hours and 22 mins a day on a screen, and 80% of children check their phones every five minutes. The NIH launched a groundbreaking $300 million study examining the effects of screen time on 11,000 kids for a decade.
As data streams in, we can make science-driven policy decisions regarding social media for children for the first time in history. We will be joining celebrities, social media influencers and struggling families on a journey to see what a more healthy relationship with technology can look like as we explore solutions to screen addiction. With the advent of social media, as we knew it in 2007, the world has changed in a way that we’ve never completely understood — at least until now. As we reflect on the past, present and potential future, Doomscroll challenges viewers to confront their own relationships with screens and uncovers the hidden consequences of the digital age.
I’m also considering taking what we’ve done with After Death into a documentary series that looks at near-death experiences around the globe, following John Burke’s latest (inspiring) book, Imagine the God of Heaven.
I’m venturing down a path of making films that speak to faith-based and secular audiences, asking big questions on wide topics. There are many challenges and personal risks ahead. It can be difficult operating in this space, but I’m grateful for the continued opportunities being able to tell stories with the gift I’ve been given.
Why do bad things happen to good people?
That question can arise when we go through tragedies ourselves or see the hardships of others. We may feel that similar sense of injustice and frustration as we watch the news or ponder films or books that depict suffering. But instead of trying to ignore our question, what if we brought it to God as David did in Psalm 22 — and Jesus did on the cross?
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest” (Psalm 22:1-2, ESV).
But David didn’t stop there: “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame” (Psalm 22:3-5, ESV).
We don’t have to be afraid of our questions about suffering. God certainly isn’t. He’s ready to hear our hearts — and walk with us through the pain.
Stephen Gray is a multidisciplinary filmmaker based out of Winnipeg, Canada. He’s currently producing a feature documentary for Amazon Studios, and his latest documentary, After Death, was released in theaters on October 27, becoming the highest-grossing documentary since 2019. This film explores one of life’s biggest mysteries, “What happens when we die?” with New York Times bestselling authors, doctors, scientists and survivors. Stephen’s work also includes award-winning short films and commercials, having partnered with brands like Leisure Travel Vans, Target, and more. You can follow him on Instagram, X and TikTok.