Film co-written by Arkansas detective set to be released in more than 600 theaters across U.S.

A movie co-written and co-produced by an Arkansan is scheduled to be released in theaters later this summer.

Beautifully Broken will be available in more than 600 theaters nationwide starting Aug. 24.

The drama, which follows three families across the globe during the Rwandan genocide, was written and produced, in part, by Springdale resident Mark McCann. The Arkansan, who also serves as a detective at the Springdale Police Department, knew one of the film's writers, Brad Allen, from a previous project and was asked to work on rewrites about three years ago.

"What I really enjoyed was that it was a faith-based film," McCann said. "The characters all sit around their faith and persevere and make it through their trials and tribulations. It’s kind of a sad story. It’s filled with tragedy but, well, beauty."

As a part-time screenwriter and consultant since 1986, McCann has traveled to Hollywood and met with producers, directors and fellow screenwriters for various projects. He and Allen previously worked on the script for Cabin 6, which was turned into a 25-minute film that earned a DVD distribution deal.

Beautifully Broken was produced by the Nashville-based company Big Film Factory and stars William Winters from Good Will Hunting, Benjamin Onyango from God’s Not Dead and Emily Hahn from Toy Story 3.

An advance screening of the film is set for Sunday at the Malco Pinnacle Theater in Rogers. About 100 area pastors and local leaders, including the wife of the governor, Susan Hutchinson, are scheduled to attend.

"This will be the first time I get to see my name on a movie," McCann said. "I’ve been working toward this for 20-something years. You can’t help but be stoked."

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