The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica recently held its first-ever film festival and symposium, designed to spotlight the church’s commitment to health, education, community outreach, and the proclamation of the three angels’ messages as described in Revelation 14.
“This festival is not about theater, movies, or exciting amusement,” said Nigel Coke, Communication director of the Jamaica Union and the event’s main organizer. “It’s about creatively presenting God’s truth to glorify Him.” Coke emphasized that the initiative offers a new way to reach hearts, aiming to dispel myths and misunderstandings surrounding the Bible and the church’s doctrines by making them clearer and more relatable.
He added that Christian short films provide a powerful platform to share diverse perspectives and experiences, enabling creative disciples to express their faith and values—especially to younger audiences.
Held under the theme “Recapturing the Spirit of Mission,” the event took place on May 10 at the Seventh-day Adventist Conference Center in Montego Bay.
Technology Meets Mission
Abel Márquez, Communication director of the Inter-American Division, said: “As a church, we are increasingly promoting the use of innovative tools to preach about Jesus, and this event was a clear example of how we can unite creativity and technology with evangelism.”
Márquez, who also serves as executive director of Hope Channel Inter-America, expressed optimism about the festival’s impact, describing it as a seed that will soon bear fruit.
“This is a seed being planted by the Jamaica Union, and we expect it to yield results very soon,” he said. “We hope that this will be the first of many gatherings where new, creative disciples emerge in the country, and that the resulting productions can be shared across the wider Inter-American Division territory.”
Awardees and Honorees
Out of 61 applications, 21 entries were received and accepted across three categories: music and animation, short films and mobile films, and public service announcements and commercials.
Dead Yard, submitted by the Shortwood Seventh-day Adventist Church, was the overall winner in the short films and mobile films category. The entry received a cash prize, a trophy, and a gift package from the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE).
The short film offers a creative interpretation of the Adventist doctrine on the state of the dead, blending visuals and storytelling to explore themes of life, loss, and hope through a biblical lens.
Stefan Fidler, communication director of the Shortwood Adventist Church, shared insights into making and motivation behind the production of the film. “We were presented with the challenge of creating a film about one of three beliefs, and we chose to go with one that would challenge us and take us out of our comfort zone. Dead Yard examines how these experiences sometimes lead us to believe ideas that are not biblically sound, such as the idea that our deceased loved ones are in heaven watching over us, or that their spirits roam the earth, terrorizing the living,” Fidler said.
Diving Deeper Into Core Beliefs
Fidler said the film sparked creative energy in him and the team, inspiring plans for more short films and commercials to meet the growing demand for this type of content.
In addition, he said, the process inspired the team to take a deeper look at the church’s beliefs. “We revisited the Seventh-day Adventist doctrines and beliefs to ensure that the film was biblically sound and truly reflected our core beliefs,” Fidler concluded.
The Shortwood Adventist Church claimed the top spot in the Public Service Announcements and Commercials category with their entry, The Ultimate Rest—God’s Way. Meanwhile, Glory, by Nevard Sanderson, won in the Music and Animation segment. Each category winner received a cash prize, a trophy, and a gift package from the JSE.
Two entries received honorable mentions: Time Change—Jamaica, by Raymore Williams, and Sting, by Bendon Seventh-day Adventist Church. Both were awarded a certificate and a tech gadget courtesy from Hope Channel Inter-America.
Special recognition was also given to former Northern Caribbean University Media Group general managers Everett Wiles and Arnold Kelly for their outstanding contributions to media and leadership in Jamaica.
Celebrating Creativity and Storytelling
The film festival was a resounding success, marked by outstanding participation, talent, and enthusiasm from young filmmakers, said Lizbeth Elejalde, program director of Hope Channel Inter-America and chief adjudicator of the festival. She described the event as an inspiring celebration of creativity and purpose, highlighting the participants’ commitment to sharing a vision of hope through powerful audiovisual storytelling. “The energy, innovation, and heartfelt messages brought to life onscreen remind us that this generation is not only ready to lead—they’re ready to inspire,” she noted.
With such strong engagement, Elejalde said organizers are anticipating even greater participation in future editions.
Expanding the Vision
Coke further stated that the plan for the festival is to make it an annual activity to keep the momentum.
“We cannot stop here, and we cannot skip next year, lest we lose the momentum built this year. This alternative tool for evangelism is far too important at this time. The world is waiting to understand the message of salvation better, creatively and uniquely put together on short films, which would allow them to better understand God’s love.”
Looking ahead, organizers hope to expand the festival by introducing two categories—amateur and professional—to encourage broader participation from creative disciples. Coke said that the plans include hosting at least two workshops in collaboration with Hope Channel Inter-America, increasing prizes and awards, and exploring documentary filmmaking to offer deeper insights into the church’s mission. The goal, said Coke, is to develop short films that can be featured as part of Hope Channel Inter-America’s content offering.
Coke challenged participants to continue to use their God-given talents and creative skills outside of the festival. “Be beacons of hope to the hopeless,” he said.
The original version of this story was posted on the Inter-American Division news site.