The JESUS film, the most translated film of all time, has now reached another pinnacle: Its 2,000th translation from English into another language. A production of Jesus Film Project, a Cru Ministry, the film has now been translated into Zo, a language spoken by approximately 65,000 people globally, including refugee and immigrant communities in 28 U.S. cities. Primarily spoken in the country of Myanmar, where reports of religious persecution persist, many speakers of the Zo language are scattered around the world.
Recently, The JESUS Film marked its debut in Zo by hosting screening events for local Zo refugees and immigrants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; and Fort Wayne, Indiana; all of which have large Zo communities. Even though a Zo translation of the Bible was completed in 2019, it hasn’t been printed in Myanmar yet, and many of the Zo people are unable to read. This translation of “JESUS” provides a way for Zo speakers to have access to the story of Jesus in their language in a format they can understand.
“Being able to release ‘JESUS’ in Zo is the payoff of years of innovation and dedication,” said Josh Newell, executive director of Jesus Film Project. “The most dignified thing that we can do is share the story of Jesus in a way that people can understand, and in a way that doesn’t need any translation. We’re excited for what the future holds as we continue to translate this life-changing story.”
First released in 1979, JESUS gives an authentic portrayal of one of the most influential figures in human history. Since then, Jesus Film Project has partnered with thousands of translators, recording teams, voice actors, and partners to make JESUS and other Jesus-centric videos available to everyone, everywhere, in every language. The JESUS Film has been seen by more than 10 million people around the world and remains the only film to be dubbed into more than 2,000 languages.
According to the Jesus Film Project website, more than 490 million people have come to faith in Jesus Christ after watching their films. Here’s just one example of one of the JESUS film’s testimonies. It’s about Saudi, who watched clips of the JESUS film on Facebook. Even though he was a follower of another religion, this led him to begin chatting with missionaries online who explained more to him about Christianity and salvation through Jesus Christ. Through this interaction and studying his Bible, Saudi declared Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior.
Another example is Carla. Carla was going to become a suicide bomber. Before this happened, a man appeared to her in a dream, and told her, “I am the way, the truth and the life. Follow me and you will preach the gospel.” After having the dream, she asked a Christian about this dream and learned about Jesus. Soon after, the man appeared to her again in a dream, telling her to, “Go and share this good news with the regional commander.” This leader led a radical group responsible for the deaths of thousands of people.
Carla met with the commander who shared that he too had a dream in which Jesus told him he was on a path to destruction. “I must change my ways,” he told her. “Or I will be destroyed.” After they both believed in Christ, the commander wanted his officers to hear the good news. Carla connected with Jesus Film Project staff and received electronic tablets containing the film. Many officers and other members of this radical group gave up their lives as terrorists to follow Jesus after seeing the film.
