REXBURG— In 1989, a man helped miraculously find a 10-year-old boy trapped in the mines of Utah’s Oquirrh Mountains.
Now, movie director Garrett Batty is telling the story in his new film, “Faith of Angels.”
Batty said young Joshua Dennis got trapped in the abandoned mine while on a father and son’s camping trip. The incident became a nationally-known story, with rescue crews searching the mines for days.
Meanwhile, John Skinner, a man living hundreds of miles away, said he woke up in the middle of the night with a prompting to drive to Utah and volunteer to help look for Joshua.
When the probability of finding Joshua started to seem small to rescue crews and his family, Skinner was able to find the boy in an area crews had already visited. Many called it a miracle.
Batty said Joshua's family reached out to him and told him about the story, inspiring him to ultimately direct the movie.
“What immediately caught my attention after talking to them about the experience was that this little boy, who was lost in the mine for five days, says that he wasn’t at all scared because there were angels with him that he could feel,” Batty said in an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio.
Joshua, his family and those who were part of the rescue effort 35 years ago spent time on the movie set.
Batty said some of those who experienced the real-life incident even helped write the script.
“We invited them to come to set and participate and watch the film being made. And so the mom, Janeen Dennis, the mother of this 10-year-old boy, was with us on set for a lot of the shoot. She would sit and listen to the actor portraying her and hear her dialogue, and she’d often lean over and say, ‘Hey, I said that,’” Batty said.
The movie’s cast includes recognizable actors, such as John Michael Finley, Cameron Arnett and Kirby Heyborne.
To watch “Faith of Angels,” purchase tickets from your local theater when the film comes to Idaho on Friday.