Deaf MissionAn organization dedicated to serving the deaf and hard of hearing will premiere the first feature film performed entirely in American Sign Language (ASL). The film, due for release June 20, is directed by Joseph D. Josselyn and stars Gideon Fahl, both of whom are deaf.
“I grew up in a Christian household and watched a lot of movies about Jesus, but I always wondered what would happen if these movies were in sign language,” Jocelyn said. Christian Post Through an interpreter: “After I joined Deaf Missions in 2006, the idea started to take shape, but at the time it seemed daunting given the scale of production, technology and funding required.”
“We started out by adapting the Book of Job, which gave us the experience we needed. We felt we were ready to take on a bigger project, which led to Jesus,” he added.
“Jesus: A Missionary Film for the Deaf” will focus on key moments in Jesus’ ministry during a time of rising tension under Roman rule in Judea, including his miracles, his power, and his challenges to the religious leaders of his day.
“The Jews were expecting a Messiah, but Jesus was not what they expected. The religious leaders’ orchestration of Jesus’ demise actually changed the world forever.” It’s written in the movie description.
Jocelyn said the filmmakers “wrestled back and forth” about which aspects of Jesus’ life to include in the film, but ultimately settled on the core objectives of Jesus’ ministry, such as forgiveness of sins and love. told CP.
“We narrowed it down to the ones that most clearly portrayed the figures of Jesus in his ministry,” he said.
The director also talked about the challenges faced during the filmmaking process.
“Producing a feature-length film in sign language requires significant resources,” Josselin points out, “but advances in technology and the power of social media have made it possible. By removing the barriers of subtitles and interpretation, Jesus was able to sign directly to the audience, creating a profound impact.”
Jocelyn claimed that the film was “a film by deaf people, for deaf people,” and that the cast included someone who was fluent in American Sign Language. There will also be a soundtrack and English subtitles.
Phil, who plays Jesus Christ, talked about what he brought to the role using ASL.
“It was so easy because Jesus is still alive,” he said. “We have the voice and the personality of Jesus. We imitated that. We didn’t have to think about it too much. We didn’t have to feel like we were struggling and struggling. We just did it. I asked God the Father, and the Holy Spirit helped me do it.”
Jocelyn and Phil are looking forward to seeing the impact this film will have on the Deaf community and beyond.
“We had a vision that this film would reach deaf people through the churches and community centers that host it, but we never thought it would be shown in movie theaters,” Jocelyn said. .
“This was a huge opportunity for us. … Movie theaters are the perfect place for deaf people to sit down and watch a movie and feel like they’re part of the audience,” he continued. “This experience is just the best option for everyone, not just Christians, not just non-believers, not just deaf people, many people who may be resistant to the gospel. But if you invite them to a movie theater, they’re like, ‘Of course, I’m going to see a movie.'”
Photo credit: ©DeafMissions/YouTube.com
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributor to CrosswalkHeadlines and host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast dedicated to sound doctrine and Biblical truth. He holds a Master of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
