- The Jesus film, based on the Book of Luke, has gained international acclaim over the years.
- It was officially recognized by the Guinness World Records as the most-translated film of all time when it surpassed 817 translations.
Image: HANDOUT
Jesus Film Project, an initiative of Cru Ministries, has announced that their record-breaking film Jesus (1979) is set to be launched in its 2,100th translation.
Translated into Waorani, a language spoken by approximately 3,000 indigenous people of Amazonian Ecuador, the film will premiere in early 2024 among the Waorani people.
The Jesus film, based on the Book of Luke, has gained international acclaim over the years.
It was officially recognized by the Guinness World Records as the most-translated film of all time when it surpassed 817 translations.
To this day, it remains the world's most translated film.
The film, which has also been translated into 25 Kenyan languages including Swahili, gave birth to the Walking with Jesus movie that was shot in Kiambu, Kenya with an African audience for Africans.
Walking with Jesus featured several cuts from the Jesus film.
In a press statement, Jesus film project’s director of language studios Chris Deckert said the translation that tells Jesus’ story is notable considering the history of Christianity with the Waorani tribe.
“The Waorani tribe holds historical significance in the context of Christian missions, as it was the same tribe whose warriors martyred five American Christian missionaries, including Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, in 1956 for sharing the gospel,” he said.
“This initiative was made possible through collaboration between Jesus Film Project and a consortium of indigenous groups, along with the agreement and support of the Waorani elders.”
“ITEC, the ministry founded to serve the Waorani people, and now other people groups around the world have been instrumental in helping Jesus Film Project connect with key leaders within the Waorani people.”
Deckert further noted that Cru Ecuador is set to be working with ITEC and other ministries to use this new tool to bring the love of Jesus to the Waorani people.
Executive director Josh Newell further said the ability to release the Jesus film in Waorani seeks to ensure the accessibility of the movie, not just in the world's most widely spoken languages but also in the heart language of every community.
“We look forward to witnessing the transformative power of this film among the Waorani people," he said.
Every day, the Jesus Film Project is working on 30 to 40 languages all around the world.
The journey to reach the first 1,000 language translations took Jesus Film Project 32 years, while the subsequent 1,000 languages have been achieved in just over a decade thanks to significant improvements in technology.