Hope Studios Short Film Receives Two Awards at International Christian Film & Music Festival

A Hope Studios production received two awards this weekend at the International Christian Film & Music Festival (ICFF). The Son of Abraham runs 12 minutes and stars Oscar-nominated actor Eric Roberts. The film focuses on the story of Abraham's test from Genesis 22 from the perspective of the son. It's been merely ten months since writer and director Ruslan Zavricico began the script. However, according to Zavricico, the work is just beginning.

A Story Built to Reach the Unreached

The Son of Abraham is intended for a unique audience of Middle-Eastern Abrahamic religions and designed to introduce them to Christ.

What is better," Zavricico asks, "than just telling them a story they are used to—which is Abraham? What if we tell that story to them, but we put the symbols and signs of Christ in it in a way that it can stir up conversation?

It's a passion project for Zavricico, who has a missionary heart for practicing Muslims, his family included.

Like many passion projects, the film began as a crowd-funded project, first with a GoFundMe and then through phone calls and emails, and eventually larger donors and partners, including Hope Studios.

Cutting Through Division With Visual Storytelling

Kevin Christenson, Head of Hope Studios and Executive Producer of the film, shares:

This film has the opportunity to connect with all Abrahamic faiths (Muslims, Jews, Christians) in a way that oftentimes written materials cannot because of identifiable language. It is easy to debate the difference in perspectives of the story based on language use (Torah, Bible, and Quran). That is where the visual interpretation cuts through division to create a common point for discussion—with significant visual symbolism to ignite conversation. This visual storytelling is equipping missionaries in the 10/40 window where books, sermons, and other banned materials are unable to reach. It's part of the Hope Channel Network's mission of reaching the ends of the earth through every means available.

Sam Neves, Vice President of Advancement, Communication and Marketing for Hope Channel International, had similar sentiments:

The way God brought together so many talents and organizations to bring this film to life is a testimony of how far He will go to reach the unreached.

Hope Channel has boldly proclaimed a goal to reach 1 billion people with eternal hope by 2030, and this film is one way to reach many.

Partners and Organizations Behind the Project

It's because of the film's missional potential that Gabriela DePhillips, Adventist Muslim Relations Coordinator (NAD), and Petras Bahadur, Adventist Muslim Relations Director (GC), became involved with funding the project, according to Zavricico, who also attributed much of the research to the two of them and their respective organizations.

Gavin Bedney, Executive Producer for the film, shared:

We know God was involved with this project, because so many things aligned that we had no control over. A perfect location was found and it just so happened to be owned by La Sierra University, our ram calmed down when we needed it to on the first day of filming, and even the awards we won this past week are all examples of God moving on our behalf.

A Student Film With University Roots

La Sierra University was not the only university involved. The film served as the senior thesis for Ruslan Zavricico, director, as well as cinematographer and co-producer Moses Kim, both students at Southern Adventist University. Students Angel Guerrero and Jayden Cushing were also on set, accompanied by Nathan DeWild, a professor in the Southern Adventist University film department, who served in a support role for his students throughout production.

What Comes Next

Zavricico shares the next steps before distributing to the intended audience will include more film festival submissions, including one that specifically requested it, as well as final editing, then translation.

Once the film is finalized and translated into Arabic, Persian, and Turkish, a specific distribution process will begin, first to missionaries, then to streaming, and finally private church events and more film festivals.

This process will be repeated for other audiences, with potential to reach not only Muslim audiences, but Jewish and Christian as well.

The Awards

If the film's reception at the International Christian Film & Music Festival is any indicator of how audiences will receive it, that is a good sign. Ruslan Zavricico was awarded Best Director for Short Film, and The Son of Abraham was awarded Audience Choice for Short Film.

Upon receiving the award for Best Director, Zavricico thanked God, his parents, his cinematographer, La Sierra University, Loma Linda University, as well as Southern Adventist University, for which the project served as his senior thesis. He also thanked Hope Studios and Hope Channel, the actors, mentors, and supporters, all of whom made The Son of Abraham possible.

This is a developing story. Follow Hope Channel for more news about The Son of Abraham, starring Oscar-nominated actor Eric Roberts, and more Hope Studios productions.