JESUS Film Relocates for Efficacy

The JESUS Film Project, the distributor of the most widely watched film of all time is relocating its operations from San Clemente, Calif. to Orlando, Fla. - the headquarters of its parent ministry, Campus Crusade for Christ.

This unanimous decision from The JESUS Film Project’s leadership is expected to help provide greater synergy and efficiency within the organization, which currently has staff at both locations.

Leaders hope that by consolidating operations and pooling resources with Campus Crusade, the JESUS Film project will improve financial stewardship and use donor contributions more efficiently.

“Our continued passion is to share the story of JESUS through media, with everyone, everywhere in his/her own language,” said Jim Green, Executive Director of The JESUS Film Project. “We are confident that this relocation will position The JESUS Film Project to be even more effective in the 21st Century. ”

The JESUS Film Project has been dubbed "the original Passion of the Christ" because of its unmatched success over the years. To date, the film has been translated in over 870 languages and exposed to 5.8 billion globally, according to organizers. The film is also accessible in hundreds of languages languages online at www.jesusfilm.org.

Different from the "Passion of the Christ," which traces through the last 24 hours of Jesus' life, the JESUS film narrates through the entire book of Luke - from before Christ's birth to after the resurrection.

The film features scenes - such as those between Jesus and the prostitute, Mary, and between his disciples - that illustrate Biblical principles of forgiveness and love and bring the Bible to life.

The two-hour film uses original wording from the Bible for the most part, allowing the Bible to be both seen and heard in the native tongue.

The JESUS Film was originally distributed in 1979 by Warner Brothers in theatres nationwide. The film is now often shown in remote, third-world locales using a makeshift screen and portable projector.

“The JESUS film has been shown in Russia’s former Communist town halls, in bamboo huts in Borneo, and even on bed sheets in isolated villages in Saharan Africa," said Paul Eshleman, Founding Director of The JESUS Film Project. "For some viewers, this is their first look at a movie image, and for most, their first look at the most famous man in history, Jesus Christ."

In 1950, Bill Bright, the visionary behind the project and co-founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, dreamed of creating an artistically excellent, biblically accurate film about the life of Jesus Christ that could be translated and distributed globally. A team of 500 scholars and leaders from secular and Christian organizations eventually joined the project and debuted "JESUS" in American theaters. Since its inception, "JESUS" has become available in 8mm, 16mm and 35mm print, VHS, VCD, and DVD formats.