A manic youth pastor's streak during a Sunday service thrusts church leadership into a PR crisis, relying on an agnostic intern to navigate the fallout.
It’s a typical Sunday at RiverTree Christian Fellowship—until Youth Pastor Chris Zingerman bursts naked through the service in a full-blown manic episode, exposing himself to the congregation and the seven board members of this ensemble comedy. The next day, the board gathers to manage the fallout, but things quickly spiral: memes, a Pornhub upload, and the viral #ZingermanChallenge have made the scandal global. Enter Jada Chen, a 22-year-old agnostic PR intern reluctantly dragged into the chaos. While Margaret, the ruthless veteran board member, pushes to fire Chris, Pastor John, the dad-joke-loving optimist, refuses to sign off, leaving the group at a deadlock. As the board digs into Chris’s life, tensions flare, personal secrets emerge, and even a literal brawl breaks out. With the church’s reputation unraveling and the news trucks circling, the group must decide: what will the body of Christ do about THE BODY OF CHRIS.
Erin Brown Thomas is a writer, director, and producer whose latest project, CHASERS—a bold, 31-minute single-continuous-shot pilot—will premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and screen at Slamdance, making it the first narrative project to be accepted into both festivals.
As a diplopic filmmaker, Erin literally sees everything twice, shaping her slick, visually heightened approach to "traumedies"—dramas that masquerade as comedies until delivering an emotional gut punch. Her produced credits explore vulnerability, the inner battle between self-identity and self-denial, and mental health - particularly for women reframing past trauma. Her writing also explores the perils of unchecked ambition, satirizes social imbalances, and earnestly critiques industrialized Christianity, blending tones into genre cocktails.
Erin’s writing has also been recognized as a Nicholl semifinalist, with her dramedy The Body of Chris ranked 16th out of 24,000 comedies on Coverfly’s Redlist. Beyond filmmaking, she co-founded and serves as Artistic Director of the Salute Your Shorts Film Festival, where she champions emerging talent, solidifying her role as a leader and advocate in the independent film industry.
The Academy Nicholl Fellowship - Semifinalist 2022
Coverfly Red List 2022 -- Ranked 16 out of 24K feature comedies.
Producer - Anna Baumgarten
Producer / Actor "Brandon" - Kristoffer Polaha
Producer - Elle Shaw
