With executions, prison sentences, and businesses forcibly closed following the protests, the regime’s grip appears tighter than ever – even as nuclear talks and regional tensions dominate international headlines.

Iran protests in Eastern Europe. (Photo courtesy of MNN)

For Iranians at home and abroad, the loss is deeply personal.

Denise Godwin with International Media Ministries (IMM) says members of their Persian expatriate film crew are carrying the weight of it every day.

“The news I get directly from them and their outrage over the killings in Iran and the abuse and the persecution is just heartbreaking,” Godwin shares.

“Speaking to one of the actors and key members of our crew, she said, ‘There’s nobody who doesn’t know someone that’s been killed.'”

The Iranian expatriate community remains tightly connected to family and friends back home. Godwin says, “Many of them, of course, have fled because of either political persecution or religious persecution, and they can’t go back. They can’t check on their families other than through the media…. So it’s really an intense time for them as they hear of deaths, either of friends or family or acquaintances, or they just can’t communicate with someone back home.”

At the same time, IMM is preparing to release a Persian-language dramatization of Esther’s story from the Bible — a story about faith and courage in the face of a regime bent on destruction. The project was filmed with Iranian actors and crew last summer.

“It’s pretty parallel to the situation going on in Iran. I mean, now there’s way more than one person risking their life,” Godwin says. “They’re just done with abuse, and they need hope.”

Esther: Queen of Hope (Photo courtesy of International Media Ministries)

That hunger for hope is especially poignant as Ramadan approaches. Godwin says, “There’s always searching going on during Ramadan by people who aren’t at ease with this religion, who are seeking God and not finding Him there.”

Please pray for grieving families, for protection over underground believers, and for the Gospel to reach those disillusioned and searching. Pray also for IMM as they work to deliver the Esther Project into Iran by summer.

“For such a time as this, God has His people in place. For such a time as this, God has sent out His message of hope. Jesus died for these people to give them eternal life.”

You can learn more about International Media Ministries and the Esther Project at their website.

Header photo: Iran protests in Eastern Europe. (Photo courtesy of MNN)

As of Tuesday, the grid operator in Spain had ruled out the possibility of the power failure being a cyber attack. Spain’s prime minister cautioned against making speculations during the investigations, which could lead to misinformation.

Denise Godwin with International Media Ministries (IMM) says, “We sat through a three-hour discussion in somebody’s office with alarms going off today, trying to talk about sets for our upcoming project to be filmed in May, June and July. So it’s definitely been an extraordinary day.”

Esther: Queen of Hope (Photo courtesy of International Media Ministries)

The disruption came at a significant time for IMM, as “we’re very intently trying to get things ready for filming and needing all of our resources to do so,” Godwin says. “So it’s not your ideal situation for moving forward as quickly as you possibly can on a giant project for the Middle East!” 

She says the team has been in prayer and fasting this month because they are in an intense season of ministry. 

“So it’s interesting that the end of April would go out with such flair as we’re praying and fasting and asking God to help us,” she says. “You learn to trust in God in these intense times!”

IMM and other ministries in Spain touch the Middle East, North Africa, Asia with their gospel ministry. Godwin says it’s important that they can communicate digitally with others. 

“But you know, God knows these things are going to happen, and we have to learn even more, even though we’re missionaries, to trust in Him. Pray that we would be strong and that we would be wise to put our energies and our efforts into the right things.”

Learn more about International Media Ministries and their upcoming film series, Esther: Queen of Hope.

Header photo of wind turbines in Spain courtesy of Vidar Nordli-Mathisen via Unsplash.

Great stories have a way of pulling us in. That same power of storytelling is now being used to share the greatest story ever told: the Gospel. And Jesus Film Project is taking it to the next level.

Geoff Peters with Jesus Film Project says, since the ministry’s inception in 1979 with the original JESUS film, “We have seen that one piece of media be used in every country across now over 2,100 languages to bring people to know who Jesus is.”

The ministry has seen film transcend cultural and linguistic barriers, reaching people where they are with the message of Christ.

With new and improving technologies today, the medium of film can go even further in connecting with people’s hearts.

“If we look back to our historical reference points of what has contributed to the Gospel getting out there into the world, you can go all the way back to the story of Jesus being told because of the existence of the Roman roads,” Peters explains. “Then fast forward 1,400-1,500 years to the Gutenberg Press now allowing the written Word to be available to everybody in their own hand to have it and read.”

Now, Peters believes we are at another pivotal moment in missions history.

Jesus unveiled in new animated “JESUS (2025). Photo credit of JesusFilm.org

The Jesus Film Project’s latest work, JESUS (2025), represents a groundbreaking step forward. This animated reimagining of the original JESUS film will use cutting-edge technology to reach audiences with the Gospel.

“Through this film, we’ll actually be able to allow people to immerse themselves through virtual reality technology, augmented reality technologies, and ultimately creating an animated telling of the Gospels in the three-dimensional environment that will allow people to step in — not just watch it as a film, but actually be able to immerse themselves in scenes and moments of the Gospel narrative in a way never before possible,” Peters explains.

Ultimately, using the medium of film, all about pointing people to Jesus Christ beyond the screen and encouraging them to follow Him in their everyday lives.

“We are a people, even today more than ever, who are seeking to find ourselves in God’s story — even if we don’t understand that it’s God’s story we’re trying to find ourselves in the middle of,” Peters says. “A film like this can help reawaken people to the larger narrative that they’ve been a part of throughout their entire lives, whether they’ve been aware of it or not.”

Peters encourages, “If anyone wants to go to Jesus.film, they can go on and find ways of staying connected [and] continuing to pray for the project.”

Please pray for encouragement and biblical focus for the Jesus Film Project teams as they finish work on JESUS (2025). Ask God to use these new tools to advance His Kingdom.

Header photo: Scene from new animated film highlights the Scripture passage “On Earth as it is in Heaven”. (Photo courtesy of Jesusfilm.org)

(Photo courtesy of Jesus Film Project)

Legacy meets a new world

“Our vision and passion is to give every person in the world the opportunity to hear Jesus say, ‘I love you’ in their heart language,” says Holly Newell with Jesus Film Project.

The JESUS film is the most watched film of all time. Newell shares that over the past 45 years it has been viewed 11 billion times, and more than 600 million people have given their lives to Christ.

It’s a God-given legacy, but one they aren’t content to sit back on.  

“Not long ago, we took a look at the world and its growing population, and we said, ‘We’re doing what God has called us to do, but we’re not doing it fast enough,’” Newell says. 

Research led them to two important facts about the world today. One is that the majority of the people who have never heard the name of Jesus live in 12 specific countries. The other is that the world is very young.

“The average age of all the people in the world is 30,” says Newell. ” In some of those top 12 countries of unreached people, the average age is only 18.”

(Image courtesy of Jesus Film Project)

The JESUS Film for the next generation

The new animated JESUS will use much of the audio tracks already recorded in more than two thousand languages for the 1979 film. That means when it releases in December 2026, it will quickly become available for people around the world. 

And then? The global Church will step in. 

“We partner with over 1,800 different mission organizations. They’re the ones who are doing the hard work of showing the film, doing the follow up, building the churches,” Newell says.

“So we just want to take this new animated tool, give it to them and say, ‘Go! Go and reach the people that have yet to hear!’” 

Get involved

Even though the animated JESUS film just finished pre-production and is two years away, Newell invites you to get involved with their gospel tools today. Here are two ways to do that:

(Photo courtesy Jesus Film Project via Facebook)

Keep in the loop
Receive updates and prayer requests for the animated JESUS film. Click here to learn more and sign up for email updates or download the insider app. 

Take JESUS with you
By downloading the Jesus Film App, you can carry the film in two thousand languages in your pocket. And it’s easy to share with anyone in their heart language! Simply search their language in the app, then forward the link to that version with a brief message. They’ll be able to open the link and watch without any need to download.

Click here to find the Jesus Film App on Google Play or the App Store. 

Header photo courtesy of Jesus Film Project.

“JESUS (2025)” was announced in November, 2023 as the newest undertaking from the Jesus Film Project, sharing the story of the life of Jesus as found in Luke.

“There are quite a few reasons to go animated with the Jesus film, but one of them is just, with the way that the world is today, in the age of the world, we want to have a way that we can have an impact with those who are engaging in media in new ways,” Chris Deckert with the Jesus Film Project said. 

The chosen format for “JESUS (2025)” is animation, a type of media that connects people of all ages and speaks to a younger generation. With the average global age being just 30 years old, Deckert sees the importance of engaging with this next generation and communicating about who Jesus is. 

The original “JESUS“ film broke records as the most translated film of all time, available in over 2,100 languages. The creators of “JESUS (2025)” intend for this animated version to use the same audio from current translations, making it accessible to just as many people groups. 

Scene from new animated film highlights the Scripture passage “On Earth as it is in Heaven”. Photo courtesy of Jesusfilm.org

“For every new language that we work on, we’re going to be doing the traditional Jesus film classically,” Deckert said. “All the translations will be the same. We work with our Bible translators and get straight from the Gospel of Luke most of what we have in the film. So as we translate that, we put it into the Jesus film, but all those lines then will be dropped into an animated version.” 

“JESUS (2025)” will first be released in English, and shown in theatres in the United States. From there, the film will be dubbed into the top 100 world languages. The Jesus Film Project will then continue to process the film into other languages as quickly as possible. 

The animated version is currently in the process of production. Deckert says it’ll be more than a year and half before it is ready to be released. In the meantime, the organization is working on fundraising and making sure that the work they’re doing is accurate. 

“And so the production team, the people they’re working with, who have professional experience in animation, come from different areas that they’ve had such great quality, and they’re bringing that into this project,” Deckert said. “But we want to ensure that this is really high quality, and that it’ll be an engaging story that people connect with not only in the U.S., but in the couple thousand other languages around the world.”

Those interested in keeping up with the development of the project can visit Jesus.film or download the Jesus Film Insider app. On another app, Jesus Film, the film is available for download for free in the 2,100 languages it is translated into. 

Deckert recalls a time he was able to use the app share the film with his Kenyan cab driver in the driver’s tribe’s language. The driver downloaded the film to share it with his family and realized that his own cousin was the one narrating in their language. 

“So just watching God bring people together with the Gospel and connecting it to them is so easy when you can share it in their own language from anywhere in the world,” Deckert said.  

Visit Jesus.film for more information on this project. 

Header image courtesy of Jesusfilm.org

Denise Godwin with International Media Ministries (IMM) shares one example of what she describes as “God winks.” 

“So often, each of us has something that we feel passionate about, or we feel called to do in our lives. Yet there are obstacles and challenges, and it’s easy to get discouraged over things that seem too big or too hard, or a calling that is just wearing us down,” Godwin says. 

“It’s good to rejoice and recognize when God gives you a wink.”

IMM is filming the story of Esther to reach the Persian world. Recently, they needed incense burner stands with a unique, historical design. 

“In the research [process], the art director found that there are these very specific incense burners that are in front of the king so that Esther or anyone else does not approach beyond that without permission, without risk of death. These are things that you can actually find in the sculpted reliefs in Iran.”

The art director wanted authentic and accuracy, but he could not find the right stands for the incense burners. 

(Photo courtesy of International Media Ministries via Facebook)

“We have a budget, but sometimes if you can’t find the object at all, money isn’t always the thing that makes everything perfect,” Godwin says. 

The art director finally told the Lord, “It’s just not happening. I can’t think of any other way.”

“The next day, he saw some people pulling furniture out of their yard, and they were throwing away a table that had the exact shape legs of these incense burners,” Godwin says.

“He was so excited. He just stopped and asked them, ‘Is this really going in the trash?’ They said, ‘Sure. Do you want it?’ He reworked these into really beautiful, beautiful stands — you can imagine these belong in front of a throne.”

The story only got better when the incense burners arrived in the mail and fit the top of the stands perfectly, as if they had been designed that way.

“It was just beautiful to see how God would say, ‘I see this project, I have called you to do Esther. And I am going to supply your needs.’ We’re going to be counting on that a lot over the next 18 months as we continue to move forward on that project.” 

Pray that Esther will draw many in the Persian world to the gospel. (More on that here.) 

Be on the lookout for how the Lord may be telling you today that He sees you.

Header image of Esther: Queen of Hope courtesy of International Media Ministries.

(Photo courtesy of International Media Ministries)

Denise Godwin with IMM says, “As a small team of missionaries telling these stories of North Africa, you think, ‘Boy, we don’t have much chance against other big companies.’ We found ourselves finalists against The Chosen! I think that’s just amazing because they have millions of dollars, and of course, as a missionary body, we don’t. But we have time to make our stories accurate and to work really hard on the detail.”

IMM walked away with the Bronze Crown Award. The Silver Crown Award for Best Series went to Learning the 5 Love Languages, and the Gold Crown Award went to The Chosen Season 2.

The Heritage Project with IMM is an eight-part docudrama series featuring lesser-known stories of early Church leaders in North Africa.

“It’s a time period that is pretty unfamiliar for a lot of people when Christianity was happening in North Africa, pre-Islam, [and] still Roman Empire,” says Godwin.

“It’s marvelous to think that these stories were started by North Africans saying, ‘Please tell our stories.’ And not only are we telling them for North Africa, but we’re getting to tell them for other parts of the world too. So [it is] such a privilege to get to do that and just to remember that you don’t have to be big and famous and rich to have an influence. You just have to be faithful.”

The cast and crew from Cyprian, part of The Heritage Series with IMM. (Photo courtesy of International Media Ministries)

You can learn more about finding the film Cyprian in your language or nation! Just visit IMM’s website: http://imm.edu/heritage-project

Header photo from Cyprian, part of The Heritage Series. Photo courtesy of IMM.

It was the first visit by a high-ranking Israeli official in years due to a tenuous political situation. The site is revered by both Jews and Muslims.

Denise Godwin with International Media Ministries says, “What I find fascinating is the wrestling over where you can pray and who holds a piece of the religious market. It’s just fascinating that in history, these things repeat themselves, whether that’s in Jerusalem or other parts of the world.”

Protests

Critics of Israel’s new government call it far-right or even theocratic. Protests have broken out across the country. Israelis have taken to the streets, holding signs saying “Democracy in danger” and “Together against fascism and apartheid.”

Israel’s new justice minister introduced a reform to allow parliament to override the supreme court.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regained power in December with the aid of far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties.

IMM

IMM recreates biblical stories through film, including many that took place in Jerusalem and surrounding areas. Godwin says, “We have always been very intentional, very careful to focus on basic biblical truths in our stories and actual history that’s provable. We don’t ever talk about politics. We don’t ever talk about other religions.”

“When we create a program in partnership with North Africa, for example, we never mention Islam or anything to do with that.”

Ask God to bring peace and justice to Jerusalem and the surrounding land. Pray the love of Jesus would foster healing.

Header photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. 

Ryan Wagner, Associate Director of Digital Strategies with Jesus Film Project, says each new JESUS translation opens doors that other Gospel-sharing methods might not be able to.

(Photo courtesy of Jesus Film Project)

“In many places, you could have a translated Bible and say, ‘Here you go.’ But that doesn’t get that far,” says Wagner. “Literacy rates can be an issue. Maybe they’re primarily oral languages. Maybe it says Jesus rode in on a donkey. Well, what’s a donkey? Maybe they’ve never seen a donkey before…. So to be able to have an audio-visual tool is really quite essential in terms of the Great Commission being fulfilled.”

Then there’s the fact that often for minority languages, JESUS is the only film they may have. Wagner says, “We sit down on the couch and we go, ‘What movie do you want to watch tonight?’ Well, in some parts of the world, this is the movie. I mean, this is it. This is all that they have. So to be connected to something like that is so unique…. For many of these people groups, to see the story of Christ played out before them is monumental.”

Jesus Film Project hears powerful impact stories all the time. Wagner shares this report from a friend who helped at a JESUS Film showing in Peru:

(Photo courtesy of Jesus Film Project)

“It was a smaller dialect for this smaller, working-class, farming-type population of people. They’re a little bit more outcast from the broader sense of society.

“He said there was this older Peruvian woman wearing the brightly colored garb and necklaces. She shuffled her feet up to him and she said, ‘Thank you for not forgetting about us.'”

Wagner says, “I remember that line and I love it so much because that’s really what it is. We use the term ‘everyone, everywhere.’ We want everyone to have a chance to hear the Gospel.”

Zo: The 2,000th JESUS Language

(Photo courtesy of Jesus Film Project)

The 2,000th translated language was Zo, a language spoken by approximately 65,000 people globally, including refugee and immigrant communities in 28 U.S. cities.

Myanmar, where Zo is mainly spoken, is a primarily Buddhist country, and people report experiencing discrimination for their religious beliefs. Access to economic opportunities can be drastically limited. As a result, many of the Zo people are now scattered around the world.

Jesus Film Project marked the film’s debut in Zo by hosting screening events for local Zo refugees and immigrants in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; and Fort Wayne, Indiana; all of which have large Zo communities.

Though a Zo translation of the Bible was completed in 2019, it hasn’t been printed in Myanmar yet, and many of the Zo are unable to read.

This translation of JESUS provides a way for Zo speakers to have access to the story of Jesus in their language in a format they can understand.

(Photo courtesy of Jesus Film Project)

“Being able to release JESUS in Zo is the payoff of years of innovation and dedication,” said Josh Newell, executive director of Jesus Film Project. “The most dignified thing that we can do is share the story of Jesus in a way that people can understand, and in a way that doesn’t need any translation. We’re excited for what the future holds as we continue to translate this life-changing story.”

Where You Come In

Jesus Film Project couldn’t have produced 2,000 translations of JESUS without the generous funding of the Body of Christ. And they are still working on more!

If you want to give in support of JESUS translations, click here to donate.

You can also share JESUS with others on the Jesus Film Project app.

Wagner says, “I like to use the term ‘being a mobile missionary’ — the ability to hold tools in our pocket to share [our] faith is so easy. So, like I said, 2,000 languages — you can have all 2,000 in your pocket. I mean, it’s pretty phenomenal. When you’re traveling, when you’re meeting your new neighbor, when you’re at the bus stop, when you’re on the subway, you can be a part of people’s story, and language is not so much of a barrier.”

(Photo courtesy of Jesus Film Project)

First released in 1979, JESUS gives an authentic portrayal of one of the most influential figures in human history. Since then, Jesus Film Project has partnered with thousands of translators, recording teams, voice actors and partners to make JESUS and other Jesus-centric videos available to everyone and everywhere in every language.

JESUS has been seen by more than 10 million people around the world and remains the only film to be dubbed into more than 1,000 languages. (Typical animated films are translated for 35-40 territories, while live-action blockbuster films are usually translated into just 12-15 languages.)

For more information about JESUS and Jesus Film Project, visit jesusfilm.org.

Header photo courtesy of Jesus Film Project.

This documentary explores faith, passion, and how hope emerges from tragedy. ENDS OF THE EARTH weaves together true stories of MAF pilots — past and present — who strive with missionaries and local believers to take the Gospel to remote and isolated people.

April 1962. The day of the first flight into Hitadipa, Dutch New Guinea. Betty Greene is the tall woman in the center. Blonde woman is Leona St. John. Bill Cutts is the man holding the child. Betty and Leona completed a 35-mile trek through the jungle into Hitadipa to inspect the airstrip before that first flight. George Boggs actually made that first landing. (Caption, photo courtesy of MAF.)

One true story features Betty Greene, MAF’s first pilot.

Chris Burgess, MAF’s Creative Director says, “She was a World War II veteran and she just was an amazing person who flew MAF’s first flight in Mexico and then laid the groundwork in Latin America and in Africa and Indonesia — laid the groundwork not only for MAF’s work, but for the work of a lot of missionaries over the past 75 years.”

Fathom Events and Collide Media Group are presenting this film for a two-night event in US cinemas on Monday, Oct. 18 and Thursday, Oct. 21 at 7:00 p.m. local time (both days).

ENDS OF THE EARTH will also be released to churches the same day as the theatrical release through Fathom’s Faith Content Network.

Audiences in both cinemas and churches will get to experience an exclusive panel discussion featuring members of MAF following the event.

The film’s title is based on Acts 1:8 when Jesus spoke to his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Burgess says, “What we are looking at really is how the Gospel today gets to what would be considered ‘the ends of the earth.’ Christ’s followers in Acts began taking the Gospel out to the surrounding areas.

Photo courtesy of MAF.

“And really, Christians and missionaries over the past 2,000 years have been…taking that same message of the Gospel and hope and love to places all around the world — often at great risk or great cost to themselves.”

The film will also feature Pastor David Platt, founder of Radical which trains and equips churches and followers of Christ to spread the Gospel across the globe.

MAF President and CEO David Holsten says, “We believe that every follower of Christ should have a passion for missions. Some will be called to go, others will be called to use their gifts to support, and all are called to pray that people will accept the life-changing salvation that comes through Jesus Christ.”

Following the film, Burgess says, “That’s the thing that I really hope beyond anything — that people will walk away really grappling with, ‘How does the Great Commission apply to my life and my circumstances?’”

Tickets for ENDS OF THE EARTH can be purchased online here or at participating theater box offices!

Watch the trailer for ENDS OF THE EARTH here.

Header photo courtesy of MAF.