‘They’re Very Open’: Christian Filmmaker Sees Unconventional Opportunity to Reach Gen Z With Gospel By Tré Goins-Phillips for Faith Wire
When it comes to sharing the Christian message with members of Generation Z, it’s certainly an uphill battle. But it would be “a shame” to dismiss them altogether, said one British filmmaker.
Paul Syrstad, creator of the anthological film, “Testament: The Parables Retold,” recently told CBN’s Faithwire that — in his experience — Gen Zers (born between 1999 and 2015) are “very open” because they are “quite spiritual,” but often feel disconnected from the ways Bible stories are typically told.
“They like asking questions,” he said of the younger generation. “But there’s this immediate disconnect with tunics and sandals, which is a shame, because I think once you watch shows that have tunics and sandals — once you’re in, you’re in.”
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In 2017, Syrstad founded Roarlight, a Christian film production company based in the U.K., where he directed and co-wrote five short films retelling the parables of Jesus in the modern era. Then, in 2021, he produced “Testament,” a full-length film weaving together the five shorts to tell a larger story about Luke, author of the New Testament book of Acts.
Syrstad and his team at Roarlight are now working alongside faith-based streaming platform Angel Studios to develop an unconventional series based on Acts “reimagined in this alternate, modern-day” environment. The setting of the show, Syrstad explained, will “look a lot like ours and will bring all the drama, the tension, the thrills that the book of Acts has, but into our world.”
He’s hoping the unique concept will be enough to draw the attention of a generation wary of or disconnected from Scripture.
“What our show is going to be able to do is kind of appeal to that audience in a more immediate sense because it feels like an action, drama, adventure — maybe sci-fi, I don’t know — it has that kind of theme and genre about it,” Syrstad said. “And then you’re just telling part of the greatest story ever told.”
