Over the years, the Christian film industry has increasingly become more popular. With hit films like God’s Not Dead, I Can Only Imagine, and I Still Believe bringing in big box office revenues, more people are becoming aware of the Christian film category. “The industry has come a long way and continues to make strides toward good quality movies. Because their budgets do not come anywhere close to that of Hollywood, I feel they do a respectable job with what they have to work with,” says Sue Groves, an alumna of Greenville University. The year 2020 has already seen some successful Christian films debut. Here are 5 more that film lovers can look forward to in the rest of 2020 and 2021.
1. The first film in this list is a FaithWorks Pictures film titled Peace River. Described to be “a groundbreaking motion picture about faith, cowboys, and US Armed Forces,” Peace River is directed by Douglas James Vail and is rumored to be released sometime in the coming months of 2020. According to the movie’s official website, “Peace River is the story of a young, modern, champion rodeo cowboy and special ops soldier who is crushed by war and personal loss and must draw on the cowboy way and a profound faith in Christ to recover the will to live and the love of his life.” For more information, visit peacerivermovie.com.
2. Next on the list is a fun and quirky faith-based musical titled A Week Away. Said to be released on Netflix in 2020, this film features Disney actor Kevin Quinn, and he is playing the role of Will Hawkins, a troubled teen who finds love and a sense of belonging at a Christian summer camp. Starring alongside Quinn is American actress Bailee Madison, who first gained acclaim for her role in the popular film Bridge to Terabithia. The film features many original songs as well as reimagined versions of well-known contemporary Christian music.
3. Number three is actually the second season of the independent online series The Chosen. This series is a drama that is based on the life of Jesus Christ and is created, directed, and co-written by American filmmaker Dallas Jenkins. It was also the first multi-season series about the life of Christ, and season one was the highest crowd-funded TV series or film project of all time. While the actual release date of season two is yet to be announced, filming has already begun and fans can watch behind the scenes videos and sneak peeks on Youtube. Groves said, “I absolutely intend to watch season 2 of The Chosen. Season 1 blew me away with its quality; Dallas Jenkins did a masterful job directing, and the acting and cinematography were excellent. Jesus was so real and compelling and all the other characters had depth and a possible (though not recorded in Scripture) back story.”
4. Number four is Journey to Hell, which is based on the book of the same title by John Bunyan. The film, as well as the book, follow a mans lifelong journey to literal hell and portrays how others can avoid the same fate. Not much information is released about this film currently. However, it is directed by Timothy A. Chey, and it is expected to be released April 23, 2021.
5. The last and final film on this list is the sequel to the 2004 smashing hit The Passion. This film, titled The Passion of the Christ: The Resurrection, has been continuously rumored since 2016 and was scheduled to be released in either 2021 or 2022. The first film did not deal specifically with the resurrection of Christ in any detailed way. Returning director Mel Gibson hopes to focus on that more in the sequel, and he even hinted in a 2016 interview that he might show Jesus’ descent into hell between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. There is a multitude of rumors floating around the internet about what else this sequel could include, but no solid details have been released. Whether this film comes next year or in three years, it will definitely draw in major crowds.
Media by Cord Buchanan.
