The drama is set in the apartheid era of South Africa. It's based on the true story of an Afrikaner named Gerrit Wolfaardt, a converted racist. Wolfaardt, after working to rid the country of its black population through genocide, experiences a spiritual transformation, but not everyone accepts his change of heart.

``Final Solution'' delivers a redemptive message of faith, love and reconciliation. It was shot in Cape Town with a cast of respected South African actors.

For any screenwriter, having your movie play in your hometown where your family and childhood friends live is a thrill. Classmates from St. John's Parish Day School and Berkeley Preparatory School - who may remember him as Kip - should make a point to see what their childhood friend has done with his life.

Krusen, a world traveler fluent in Spanish, makes his home in Portsmouth, Va. He's a senior producer with CBN WorldReach, the international production division of the Christian Broadcasting Network. He also is president of Messenger Films, a nonprofit company he launched in 1988 to produce Christian films for evangelism.

Not Your Typical Christian Movie
I know what you're thinking. Christian films can be too preachy, which limits their appeal to wider audiences. And with low budgets, productions end up looking cheesy.

That's not the case here. Tampa Tribune film critic Bob Ross, whose review of ``Final Solution'' will appear in next week's Friday Extra, says it's impressive. The film has already played on PBS affiliates around the country and has won awards at six major film festivals, including best picture and best musical score at the Down Under Festival in Australia and dramatic gold at the Houston International Film Festival.

Krusen's main objective with ``Final Solution'' is to show that racism is not a quality Christians should allow to flourish and that it's supported nowhere in the Bible. He says it's only fitting that the movie will be playing here during Black History Month.

``Whether people know the Lord or not, I want them to leave the theater with either a newfound or renewed respect of the word of God and what the Bible has to say about injustice,'' he said in an interview from his home. ``And I would hope people will be inspired to reach out across the racial divide and make relationships with people from other ethnic backgrounds.''

Experiencing Prejudice
Krusen's personal life speaks to that. He married Elizabeth, an African-American dancer who captured his heart when he was attending Harvard at age 19. They have four children, ages 20, 18, 16 and 15.

``Sad to say, they've only experienced prejudice in Christian schools,'' he says. ``Just because you say you have faith does not make you immune to racism.''

Krusen became a Christian in 1991, when he was living in New York and pursuing a career in filmmaking. Before his conversion, he says his life was centered on achieving personal glory. Now he focuses on reaching people through films that honor God.

Krusen is in the development stages of two films: ``The Search,'' set in Mexico, where he once lived, and ``The Dream House,'' set in North Carolina and Georgia.

``I'm always thinking of the next story to write,'' he says. ``The world is full of them. But to me, just entertainment is not enough. The most important thing is to touch people's souls and hearts.''