Our animated short film “Chosen Witness” is meant to do just that. This film shares the story of Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus’s followers. As you watch her encounter Jesus and follow Him, you’ll see Jesus in three ways.

1. You’ll see Jesus through the eyes of Mary Magdalene

“Chosen Witness” shows the perspective of Mary Magdalene, who was not only a follower of Jesus but also the first witness to His resurrection. You’ll share her journey, from her first life-changing encounter with Jesus through the days thereafter, walking alongside Him. Watch and see her respond to His suffering as someone who experienced suffering in her very own life.

2. You’ll see the life of Jesus

While the film offers a closer look at Mary Magdalene’s experiences, “Chosen Witness” is really about Jesus’s story. Each scene is carefully crafted to bring the story of Jesus to life. In just nine minutes, you’ll watch His life, death and resurrection. And if you’re looking for a longer film to keep learning about Jesus’s story, every word spoken in “Chosen Witness’ comes from our original feature-length films, the “JESUS” film and “Magdalena.”

3. You’ll see Jesus’s heart for outcasts

When God chose Mary Magdalene to be the first witness to Christ’s resurrection, it’s important to remember that at that time, a woman like Mary was somewhat of an outcast in society. At that time, a woman wasn’t even fully acceptable to be a witness in a court of law. Yet, God chose Mary to be the first witness to the most important event in history.

One of our executive producers of “Chosen Witness,” Elizabeth Schenkel, puts it like this: “That was an act of elevating women, of establishing that women are equal in value to men. At that time, that was a revolutionary idea.” As you watch, you’ll see that Jesus didn’t come to dismiss marginalized people, but rather to identify with them, saying “They are why I’m here.”

“Chosen Witness” is now streaming. You can watch it on our Watch page, the JFP app, and on our YouTube channel in 38 languages from around the world. We hope it will bring you closer to Jesus and help you share Him with others, too.

Header image courtesy of Jesus Film Project.

Legion is a short film recently released by Jesus Film Project. It’s an animated version of the account recorded in Mark 5 when Jesus heals a man filled with literal demons. Director and former Disney animator Dominic Carola says, “It’s a story that resonates with a lot of people.

“[In] what sometimes seems to be an ever-darkening world, a lot of people are looking for freedom from their own personal demons, whatever they may be.”

Jesus Film Project debuted Legion in 32 languages in April and it’s already gaining global attention. Irv Klaschus, Legion’s producer, indicates the film’s popularity is a good sign. “It really seems to be something that the Lord wanted us to pursue,” Klaschus says.

Cartoons aren’t just for kids

People around the world are desperate for hope, but the Gospel message is sometimes waylaid by media style and cultural differences. Many adults in the U.S. and other Western societies associate cartoons with children’s media, placing a barrier between animated Gospel films and their intended audience.

(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

The Walt Disney Company played a significant role in connecting animation with kids. With roots dating back to 1923, Disney has a long history of animation fame in the U.S. More about that here. Feature-length animated films like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin catapulted Disney to box office fame in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Carola’s portfolio includes The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and Brother Bear.

The West may be slow to embrace animation as entertainment for all ages, Carola says, but that’s not the case worldwide.

“Animation… is a very globally receptive medium,” Carola explains. “You can go to just about any country, and people are very familiar with animation nowadays.”

As such, Legion holds tremendous potential as a worldwide evangelism tool.

“It definitely is much more globally-receptive because of its medium, and it has global appeal from a visual storytelling standpoint.”

The Gospel isn’t only for the West

Traditional Gospel tools like tracts and booklets often work well for people and societies with high literacy rates. However, as the International Orality Network explains, 80 percent of the world’s population prefers to learn and communicate through non-written means.

(Photo courtesy The JESUS Film Project)

This makes Legion an ideal tool, and it gives believers an easy opportunity to share Christ. First, click here to watch Legion on Jesus Film Project’s website – but, please proceed with caution. Klaschus says some of the content may not be fit for young eyes.

“The film opens with a man cutting,” he explains. “This is a film really for [ages] 15 to 25 or older; [there are] just some very real issues. But, it’s a timeless story [of] God’s deliverance of this man in the midst of that.”

Then, learn how to share Legion with anyone you meet. Jesus Film Project developed a collection of short films called “Conversation Starters” to initiate Gospel conversations.

“You can be anywhere and say, ‘Hey, would you like to see this short film?’ And, it just takes a couple of minutes [to watch],” says Klaschus.

“Everything that we make is freely downloadable and shareable. The whole point is to equip the Body of Christ [with] creative and high-quality things like this to share with their friends and start those conversations.”

Browse the full Conversation Starters collection here.

Header image courtesy of Jesus Film Project via Twitter.

(Photo courtesy Jesus Film Project)

MENA (JFP) — While many Middle Easterners might be afraid to openly talk about Jesus, they will watch a short film that opens up spiritual conversations.

Short films are becoming the universal language of the digital world. YouTube has created a wonderful opportunity to spread the gospel, especially in places like North Africa and the Middle East because anyone can post a short film there.

Short films shared face-to-face or online using video tablets, smartphones, and laptops are highly effective in reaching Middle Easterners of any age. This approach can open hearts, launch spiritual conversations, and even result in people watching the JESUS film in their heart language.

This is why a special training program has been launched: to equip the next generation of Middle Eastern filmmakers to engage their own culture with the good news of Christ through short films. These students are eager to learn and can quickly pick up needed skills and artistry to become effective storytellers. The filmmakers are being equipped and trained to produce films that speak messages that can open hearts, reaching people of all ages.

Would you send them to film school in the Middle East by providing a day or more of concentrated training by professional filmmakers? You can send a student to one day of film school for $107 or one week for $535. Help them start conversations to lead men, women, and children to Jesus in their heart language. Every gift makes a difference! Click here to learn more.

(Photo courtesy SAT-7)

Egypt (SAT-7) — On March 8th, filmmakers celebrated an awards ceremony for a short film competition in Eygpt, Dialogue without Walls (in Arabic, Hewar bila Aswar). SAT-7 and Egyptian national television stations aired the ceremony live from the Nile Hall in downtown Cairo, Egypt.

Through the short film competition, SAT-7 aims to encourage conversation and build bridges between people of different political and religious backgrounds. It also gives young filmmakers a platform to express their opinions independently of commercial pressures.

A committee of independent judges, comprised of filmmakers, chose three award winners from 52 film submissions.

First prize was awarded to “The Shot,” produced by Tamer Arnest, a young Egyptian filmmaker living in Kuwait. Tamer is a member of the media group at Kuwait Evangelical Church, which trained with SAT-7 two years ago.

(Photo courtesy SAT-7)

Out of four SAT-7 productions submitted to the competition, two were awarded second and third prizes. The second award went to “A Harmonic Film,” directed by Shokry Zikry (pictured right) and with screen play by Amir Nessim. “A Harmonic Film” centers on a young filmmaker trying to make a film that wins an award. His mentor advises him to compromise his values to impress the audience. At first he agrees, but then at the last moment, he sticks to his convictions and does not compromise.

And third prize went to “Braids,” produced by Farid Garas. “Braids” is a film about a young woman fighting within herself for freedom from misconceptions about women in the conservative Middle Eastern community. Her father tries to liberate her, but throughout the course of events, he dies. She is left to suffer but she does not surrender her cause. Both SAT- 7 films were produced in December, 2013 in partnership with the Family Life Network.

SAT-7 organized Dialogue without Walls for the first time this year, in collaboration with Catholic Cinema Center and the Synod of the Nile: Dialogue Council. The Catholic Cinema Center is highly respected for its values, as it is the only institute that can nominate Egyptian films for the Oscars and Cannes festivals. Mainstream industry professionals followed the awards ceremony with positive remarks.

Farid Garas, Executive Director of SAT-7 Egypt, points out the importance of encouraging high quality production in Christian film-making. He says, “I believe we have the best redemptive stories to tell, but sometimes we miss telling them in the best way, or tell them only to our audience. We have to speak to the world in a language they understand. The art of film-making is certainly one of the best ways to do that, and young people are the best ones to do that.”

The film, which won awards for Best Actor and Best Short Film at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, tells the story of a young man dealing with an abusive father, surrounded by escalating violence in Bogota, Colombia. OneHope, who co-financed the film, said the film is based on a collection of true stories from their ministry experience.

"By addressing the serious cultural challenges facing young people in Latin America with an authentic, powerful film about moral courage, we hope to impress on young people that their worth is not dependent on what others think of them, but on the truth that God loves them," said Bob Hoskins, founder of OneHope, on their Web site.

OneHope plans to partner with and show the film in schools, prisons, churches and other non-governmental organizations across Colombia, Mexico, Argentina and Peru, as well as give out their Book of Hope as they traditionally do.

The film will fight issues like gang violence, while sharing the message of the Bible with youth and being sensitive to their specific cultural needs.

Since 1987, OneHope has reached out to some 600 million youth across 125 countries. You can join OneHope on their journey as they impact even more individuals by visiting their Web site, onehope.net.