The unexpected crowds of the preview at the Orbe cinema forced the managers to open the second room.
With the long-awaited presence of Jonathan Roumie (alias Jesus) at the French-language preview in December 2021 at the Gaumont cinema on the Champs-Élysées, the series was broadcast on C8 between Christmas and New Year. A million people watch it live or on catch-up TV.
In Switzerland, on the initiative of Christophe Hanauer (Millennium Production), Shafique Keshavjee (Regeneration) and Olivier Fleury (JC2033), the 8 episodes of season 1 of The Chosen are screened in the CinéRive cinemas in Orbe, Vevey, and Aigle. The added value in the cinemas is that each evening is embellished with a debate in the form of a round table dicussion with personalities from the region. This was a very good opportunity to discover this very beautiful series and also to invite people in search of the Christian faith.
It is now possible to get The novel, DVDs and watch the series in french on the app. Other french-speaking venues could also be considered for broadcast in cinemas or churches.
https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen
Going Deeper - Growing in Christian Unity
The Chosen is quite simply a phenomenon on every level but its` real triumph is one for Christian Unity.
Much has been written about the waves this project surfed to achieve global success. It is the largest ever crowd-funded media project. It was released on streaming services and apps to a world largely in lockdown. The fact that the show has garnered over 360 million viewers worldwide says it all.
As we look forward to 2033 and Celebrating 2000 years of the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Chosen project gives us a small glimpse of projects that can unite two billion Christians. In turn, it gives us a realization of the greater impact this could present.
The Chosen has been able to appeal to a wide audience of Christians because of its focus on Jesus, “It’s because we are focusing solely on Jesus and when you focus on Jesus all those religious walls that people have placed between them come down.” Says Dallas Jenkins, the visionary behind the project.
The simplicity of the show stripped to the bare essentials helps Christians from all denominations identify and claim the show as their own. When Jesus takes center stage He becomes the unifying factor. Whilst this is clearly an evangelical project The Chosen has a diverse biblical advisory council made up of representatives of all the major Christian traditions that work hard to ensure religious sensitives are not offended.
This diversity and unity touch every part of the project. The actors, financiers, production crew, set designers, etc are of diverse Christian persuasions. The film is financially backed by followers of Jesus from across the denominations. It is promoted on social media and in the Christian press by diverse Christian traditions. It is endorsed by the Pope and senior church leaders. The end product is enjoyed shoulder to shoulder in church communities and cinemas, with families united in Christ.
When diverse Christians come together with Jesus then wonderful things can happen and the fruit of this endeavor is undeniable. The furtherance of the gospel on this scale is remarkable: the stories of people finding Jesus and the Christian community widespread and the impact of the project on the lead actor Jonathan Roumie is transformational.
There is also a beautiful dynamic happening when it comes to the chosen. Jesus said that the world would believe that he was sent from Father because of the unity of his disciples. Or that our message would only be believable when delivered authentically together.
The fruit of this project not only comes from the response to its message and staggering global distribution. The greater fruit comes from an authentic love shared by Christians throughout this project. The world is crying for authentic love and unity that can overcome the sin and division it knows only too well.
We cheer on Dallas Jenkins and the whole of the chosen team as they dream to reach a billion people with the message of Jesus. It's time for Christian Unity and with over 2 billion Christians in the world, we invite you to engage and imagine what we could do together for 2033.
