‘Jesus: A Deaf Missions Film’ Makes Television Debut Saturday on CTN
Movies
Audio By Carbonatix
6:55 AM on Friday, September 26
By Michael Foust, Movies
A groundbreaking gospel film created for the deaf community will make its television debut Saturday when Jesus: A Deaf Missions Film airs on CTN.The first-of-its-kind movie tells the story of Jesus entirely in American Sign Language (ASL), with every actor and actress—from those portraying Christ to the ones embodying the disciples and even Pontius Pilate—signing their roles. Every cast member was fluent in ASL. CTN, or Christian Television Network, is available on Dish, DirecTV, and some 20 over-the-air stations throughout the United States. Jesus will air Saturday, Sept. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. Director Joseph D. Josselyn said American Sign Language creates a bond with a deaf audience that captions cannot.
“Deaf people, including myself, often watch movies where the actor speaks, and we must rely on the captions,” Josselyn said. “Because of this, we don’t have the same connection with the film as a hearing person.”
The deaf community is captivated when they see something in ASL -- whether it’s sports, news, or any other topic—because of the natural bond of a shared language,” he said. Captions, by contrast, are simply a written representation of spoken English on a screen, not a language in themselves. American Sign Language, however, is a complete language with its own grammar and cultural identity. For many deaf viewers, experiencing a film in ASL goes far beyond captions—it speaks to them in their heart language.
Josselyn said the best way to reach the deaf community through a gospel film is to have the entire cast use sign language.
“Because the cast is deaf, the deaf community will see this and have an instant connection to the story. Language isn’t a barrier anymore,” Josselyn said. “They can be fully immersed into the story, the message of the gospel.”
Much like subtitles on a French film, Jesus: A Deaf Missions Film includes captions for viewers who don’t know ASL. It is estimated that only between 2 and 4 percent of the world’s deaf population follows Christ, according to Deaf Missions. Josselyn and his film crew produced Jesus only after a test run involving a short gospel movie, Uncondemned, filmed using American Sign Language. It was viewed by more than 250,000 people online, indicating a strong interest in a feature-length movie, Josselyn said.
“The community's response has been amazing,” he said.
Josselyn’s goal with the movie is simple: to introduce the deaf community to the story of Christ—using their own language as the bridge.
“The film will impact lives,” he said.
Photo credit: ©DeafMissions
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
