Coke: Film festival not about theatre, movies, or exciting amusement

The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in Jamaica, with a focus on health, education, and community outreach, took a step forward in fulfilling its mission by hosting its first-ever film festival and symposium.

In his inaugural address and overview of the festival, Nigel Coke, communication director of the SDA in Jamaica, emphasised the need for the Church to engage in this area of ministry, but reminded his audience that it is “not about theatre, movies or exciting amusement”.

“This festival is not about theatre and movies or exciting amusement; it’s about creatively presenting God’s truth to glorify Him,” Coke said. “It’s the Church, through its creative disciples, offering another way to reach people’s hearts. It aims to debunk some of the myths and misunderstandings of the Bible and our church doctrines, making them more transparent and acceptable.

“Christian short films can showcase diverse perspectives and experiences, allowing creative disciples to share their faith and values with a broader audience, especially young people.”

The festival, themed, ‘Recapturing the Spirit of Mission’, was held at the SDA Conference Centre in Montego Bay, St James on May 10.

“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,” said Abel Marquez, communication director of the SDA Church in the Inter-America Division.

Marquez, who is also executive director of Hope Channel Inter-America, believes that the festival is a seed planted that will bear fruit very soon.

“I believe this is a seed that the Jamaica Union is planting, and it will bear fruit very soon. We hope this will be the first of many gatherings where new creative disciples emerge in the country, and that we may share the resulting productions across other parts of the Inter-American Division territory.”

Winners of the Awards

Twenty-one entries from 61 applications were received and accepted, covering the three categories of Music & Animation, Short Films & Mobile Films, and Public Service Announcements and Commercials.

Dead Yard, which came from the Shortwood Adventist Church, was the overall and category winner of the short films and mobile films category and received a cash award of $100,000, a trophy, and a gift package from the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE).

The Shortwood Adventist Church was also the winner of the ‘Public Service Announcements and Commercials’ category with their entry, The Ultimate Rest-God’s Way. At the same time, Glory by Nevard Sanderson took the ‘Music and Animation’ segment. The category winners each receive a cash prize of $50,000, a trophy, and a gift package from the JSE.

There were two honourable mentions – Time Change, the Jamaican silent film by Raymore Williams, and Sting by Bendon SDA Church. They received a certificate and a tech gadget courtesy of Hope Channel Inter-America.

Dr Lizbeth Elejalde, the chief adjudicator of the festival, called it “an inspiring celebration of creativity and purpose”.

“From my perspective, the film festival was a resounding success, characterised by the outstanding participation, talent, and enthusiasm of young filmmakers,” she said.

“Their commitment to sharing a vision of hope through powerful audiovisual storytelling left a lasting impression. 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. With such strong engagement, we are already anticipating even greater participation in future editions. Thank you to all who made this event possible. The story is just beginning.”

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.”

He challenged the participants to continue to use their God-given talents and creative skills outside of the festival to be beacons of hope to the hopeless.