The History of Jesus Film Project®


1979

JESUS premieres in 250 U.S. theaters.
Watch the full film here.

1980

JESUS has first international showing in Hindi to 21 million Indian viewers. First JESUS film teams launch in Philippines.

1984

JESUS film
translations
reach 100.

1989

First Soviet Union language premier in Georgia, the birthplace of Stalin.

1991

First convocations on Christian morals and ethics, linked with the JESUS film, are held for Russian educators. It becomes the International School Project.

1993

JESUS reaches
an astonishing one-half billion viewings.

1997

JESUS reaches one billion viewings and is translated into 400th language. Dramatic audio/radio versions of JESUS developed.

1999

JESUS reaches 500 translations. The Story of Jesus for Children is produced.

2001

JESUS is shown in every country around the globe. Audio/radio translations reach 200. The JESUS film is distributed in New York after the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks.

2002

Total viewings:
5 billion, Translations
reach 700.

2003

JESUS film translations reach 800, with 200 audio/radio translations.

2004

The Global Short Film Network begins.

2007

1,000th translation of JESUS. The film Magdalena: Released from Shame premieres at the United Nations, NY—and in 22 countries.

2004

Film translations of JESUS: 1,071. Audio/radio translations of The Story of Jesus: 423. Translations of The Story of Jesus for Children: 135, Translations of Magdalena: Released from Shame: 48.

2012

Jesus Film Project app is released.

2013

10,000th
projector
shipped.

2015

Enhanced 35th-anniversary Blu-ray edition of JESUS released. Version 2.0 of the Jesus Film Project app makes it easier for people to find videos of Jesus in their own language. Jesus Film Project sets goal to reach an additional 5 billion people by 2025.

2017

1,500th language produced for the Daasanach people.

2022

The JESUS film reaches its 2,000th translation—in the Zo language.


To date:

We’ve partnered with more than 1,800 ministries, which enable us to create, translate and distribute more films believers can use in telling the story of Jesus around the world. 

These days Jesus Film Project carries more than 200 short and feature length films, most available on our website and app. That collection includes animated short films like My Last Day (in an anime style), Legion and Chosen Witness. Contextualized films like Retelling the Good Story and Do You Ever Wonder? represent the wide breath and forward-looking scope of the Jesus Film Project library.

But we’re more than just about JESUS and our collection of short films. Together with our partners, Jesus Film Project is committed to helping the body of Christ use film, equipment and other ministry strategies to make Jesus known, and for church planting and discipleship in every context and language.

 

Jesus Film Project’s goal is to help people experience Jesus in their own language using media tools and momentum-building strategies. The fact that JESUS has been recognized by The Guinness Book of World Records as the “Most Translated Film” in history reveals how seriously we take the objective to share the gospel with people from every nation, tribe, and tongue.

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