A mother’s prayers for her drowning victim son are answered dramatically in Director Roxann Dawson’s biographical drama, Breakthrough.

Based on Joyce Smith’s memoir, The Impossible: The Miraculous Story of a Mother’s Faith and Her Child’s Resurrection, Dawson’s film tells the true story of how all hope seemed lost after Smith’s adopted son, John, fell into an icy Missouri lake and afterwards lay lifeless in a hospital. Even in the face of every scientific prediction and medical case history, her refusal to give up and steadfast belief inspired those around her to continue to pray for John’s recovery.

Following the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles on April 28, Dawson sat down with Director Allan Arkush (Nashville) to discuss the making of Breakthrough.

Breakthrough is Dawson’s feature film directorial debut. Her other directing credits include the pilot and first two episodes of Mercy Street, as well as episodes of The Americans, The Chi, Runaways, The Deuce, Chance, House of Cards, The Path, Bates Motel, Hell on Wheels, Treme, The Good Wife, Lost, Scandal, Cold Case, Crossing Jordan, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise. She has been a DGA member since 1999.

You can listen to Dawson's Q&A by clicking the podcast episode embedded below. You can find more DGA podcast episodes here.