Jesus Film Project Releases Mary Magdalena Version in U.S.

By Jennifer Riley, Christian Post Reporter Sunday, February 24, 2008

The same ministry that created the Jesus Film – the most translated film in history – has begun distributing in the United States a new film about Jesus that is told through the eyes of Mary Magdalena, the Jesus Film Project announced this week.

Magdalena: Released from Shame is the story of Mary of Magdala, also known as Mary Magdalene, and what she may have experienced walking with Jesus of Nazareth during his public ministry. Through her eyes, this film portrays how Jesus values women by focusing on historical accounts of his interactions with them.

"The Magdalena film is a wonderful way to share with women everywhere that they are loved and valued by God," said Jim Green, executive director of The Jesus Film Project.

The film has been shown in different parts of the world where women face discrimination because of their gender, but only recently was it released in the United States where, overall, there is gender equality.

"Magdalena has already been shown in other parts of the world where women encounter violence and humiliation simply because of their gender," Green explained. "After test screenings in the United States we discovered that the Magdalena film can also be a very effective way to reach women here who may have never before considered the relevance of having Jesus in their lives."

The Magdalena film follows in the footsteps of the highly successful original Jesus film, which debuted in U.S. theaters in 1979. In collaboration with more than 1,500 Christian agencies, the Jesus film reports more than 6 billion viewings worldwide since 1979. As a result, more than 200 million people have indicated decisions to accept Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.

Last year, the Jesus film celebrated a major milestone – the 1,000th translation of the evangelistic film. The project plans to continue translating the film into 500 new languages which includes every language with more than 100,000 speakers.

The Jesus Film Project is a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, International, one of the world's largest nonprofit, interdenominational organizations, founded by Bill and Vonette Bright in 1951.