Adventist Church to release major cinematic production in October

Adventist Church cofounder Ellen G. White depicted in a promotional image for “Tell the World.” (adventist.org)

Posted July 20, 2016 | Andrew McChesney, news editor, Adventist Review

The Seventh-day Adventist Church will release the largest cinematic production in the denomination’s history in October: a dramatic depiction of the birth and development of the early Advent movement.

“Tell the World,” produced by church-owned Hope Channel in Australia, brings to life the story of Adventist pioneers with an unprecedented cast of 95 actors, 157 crew members, and 1,000 extras.

“‘Tell the World’ will allow viewers to see the Advent pioneers wrestle to understand Scripture, debate theology, and overcome bitter disappointment,” the Adventist Church said in a statement. “But through it all, the pioneers were led and inspired by God as they journeyed to find the truth.”

The world headquarters of the Adventist Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, is coordinating the distribution of the project, which will be available in three formats: short historical clips that will be released in August; a television series of six episodes that will air on Hope Channel and stream online in October; and a feature-length film that will be available later on several streaming services, including Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play.

“I believe we are all convinced that this film will be a tremendous spiritual encouragement to God’s people and the public,” said Ted N.C. Wilson, president of the Adventist world church.

The project is the fulfillment of a dream by Chester Stanley, former president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia, who spent years developing it and raising funding.

The church statement did not disclose the project’s budget, saying only that “it is … the largest media production in the denomination’s history.”

The church decided to release “Tell the World” as a television series in October to coincide with the 172nd anniversary of the Great Disappointment of Oct. 22, 1844, a key date in Adventist history. On that day, about 100,000 people gathered in northeastern United States to futilely await Jesus’ Second Coming.

A group from that early Advent movement went on to form the Seventh-day Adventist Church with 3,500 members in 1863. The church now has a membership of 19.1 million people worldwide.

“The project was designed for members to connect with the church’s movement and to rediscover what it means to be an Adventist,” the church statement said. “‘Tell the World’ will also provide an opportunity for people who are unfamiliar with the church to gain a deeper understanding of the denomination.”

“Tell the World,” whose official website is telltheworld.adventist.org, will be initially available in four languages: English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Over the next three years, subtitles are to be added for the 30 most spoken languages of the world.