1. 'Sarah’s Oil' (In Theaters Nov. 7)
From Cyrus Nowrasteh, director of “The Young Messiah,” comes the remarkable true story of Sarah Rector, an African American girl born in early 1900s Oklahoma who discovers oil beneath her allotted land and becomes one of the nation’s first black female millionaires at just 11 years old.
Produced by Jon and Andrew Erwin (“Jesus Revolution”), Kevin Downes, Zachary Levi, and NFL stars Russell Wilson and Ciara, “Sarah’s Oil” is a drama about faith, perseverance and the power of family in the face of greed and injustice. The film stars Zachary Levi, Sonequa Martin-Green and newcomer Naya Desir-Johnson as Sarah.
"Sarah's journey is one of remarkable resilience," said Downes. "'Sarah's Oil' does exactly what we aim to do — tell stories that ignite hope."
2. 'Soul on Fire' (In Theaters Oct. 10)
From “Soul Surfer” director Sean McNamara, “Soul on Fire” tells the incredible true story of John O’Leary, a boy who miraculously survived a near-fatal fire and grew up to inspire millions. With performances by William H. Macy, John Corbett, Joel Courtney and DeVon Franklin, the film highlights the power of prayer and the importance of community.
O’Leary’s bestselling memoir On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life inspired the Sony Affirm film, which was shot in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.
“It’s a true story. It's not glorified or glamorized. It's just a true story of ordinary love and how redemptive that is. And right now, I think we need a healthy dose of that,” O’Leary told The Christian Post.
3. 'The Case for Miracles' (In Theaters Dec. 15–18)
New York Times bestselling author Lee Strobel returns to the big screen to explore one of faith’s most compelling questions: Do miracles still happen today?
In this feature-length documentary, Strobel investigates stories of healings and divine interventions, from a woman cured of multiple sclerosis to university researchers documenting modern miracles in Mozambique. Directed by Mani Sandoval, “The Case for Miracles” builds a case for faith in a skeptical age and is based on Strobel’s 2018 book, The Case for Miracles: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Supernatural.
In the trailer for the film, Strobel calls the project his "most intriguing of all."
"In many Evangelical circles, there's almost a skepticism toward the miraculous or a downplaying of the supernatural out of this sense of wanting to set themselves apart from the excesses we've seen in some circles," he told The Christian Post. “When we see documented cases that point to the miraculous today, it gives more credibility to the miracles that we see in Scripture."
4. 'GROW' (In Theaters Oct. 17)
This fall, trade in horror for heart. “GROW” is an uplifting family comedy about a little girl with an extraordinary gift: she can grow giant pumpkins.
Set in the “pumpkin capital of the world,” the warmhearted tale stars Golda Rosheuvel (Bridgerton) as a prickly farmer and Priya Rose-Brookwell as her spirited niece. With appearances by Nick Frost (“Hot Fuzz”) and Alan Carr, “GROW” is story about family, faith and fun.
“Just in time for Halloween, ‘Grow’ is an uplifting and heartwarming family film for movie lovers of all ages that American audiences are sure to embrace,” said Ray Nutt, Chief Executive Officer at Fathom Entertainment.
5. 'Ruth & Boaz' (Now Streaming on Netflix)
The timeless biblical love story gets a modern twist in this soulful Tennessee-set drama.
When a young woman escapes the Atlanta music scene to care for a widowed woman, she finds faith, family and unexpected love. Starring Serayah McNeill, Tyler Lepley and Phylicia Rashad, with special appearances by Babyface, Jermaine Dupri and Lecrae, “Ruth & Boaz” explores redemption and renewal in a contemporary setting.
“A lot of times, people talk about Ruth and Boaz, and they remember it as a love story where Ruth set out to meet Boaz. That's not true,” Franklin told The Christian Post. “Ruth made a commitment to Naomi not to go home alone. ‘Where you go, I go,’ and as part of her commitment and service, she was committed to a purpose higher than herself. What happened? God blessed her with a love.”
Franklin pointed to the often-overlooked exchange between Naomi and Ruth. “If you go back to Scripture, Naomi told Ruth, ‘Hey, you're basically not going to get married again, so don't follow me. Stay in Moab.’ And Ruth said, ‘No, your God will be my God. And where you go, I go. And as there were results of that, God then blessed her with love.”
“It's not just a love story between Ruth and Boaz,” he added. “It's also a love story between Ruth and Naomi, and it's very important to remember: commit to the greater purpose of your purpose and to be of service. And let's see how God brings love as a part of that.”
6. 'House of David' Season 2 (Now Streaming on Prime Video)
The hit biblical series that captivated 44 million viewers returns for its second season.
Produced by Wonder Project and Amazon MGM Studios, “'House of David' follows Israel’s future king as he rises from shepherd to warrior. Season two picks up in the aftermath of Goliath’s fall, as David (Michael Iskander) faces battles both external and internal.
Jon Gunn, who created the series alongside Jon Erwin, told The Christian Post that season two charts David’s emergence as a warrior.
“This is the season where David’s rise to fame and destiny really begins,” he said. “But it comes at a great cost for all those around him. Season two amplifies everything. It’s bigger, deeper, more ambitious.”
Iskander, the 23-year-old star of the series, previously told CP that season two is the culmination of one of the Old Testament's most famous lines: "Saul killed his thousands, David his tens of thousands."
"The first season was really about this young shepherd boy, this teenager, trying to find himself and what God wants from him, what is his destiny, and what is the will of God. But he was a little kid. Season two is about David coming into his own and stepping into God's will for him and becoming that warrior."
7. 'The Chosen Adventures' (Premieres Oct. 17 on Prime Video)
From “The Chosen” creator Dallas Jenkins comes a new animated series for children and families.
“The Chosen Adventures” follows 9-year-old Abby and her best friend, Joshua, as they encounter Jesus of Nazareth in first century Capernaum alongside a talking sheep and other whimsical characters. With Jonathan Roumie voicing Jesus and Jordin Sparks among the cast, the 14-episode series is full of "whimsy, whit and biblical truths" that families can enjoy together, Jenkins told CP.
"A children's show isn't intended to, nor is it ever going to, take you all the way into the depth of the Jesus story that you're going to get as you get a little bit older," he said.
"You hear the story overall, but because you're not an adult, you can't totally identify with the pain and suffering. This is still a show for kids; we're not getting in there and trying to scare them or anything like that. It's going to be covering biblical truths, but it's designed to ease them into some of these stories. It's going to engage them with Scripture, and then hopefully that's going to supplement the mothership show as well."
8. 'The Promised Land' (Now Streaming on YouTube)
Written and directed by “The Chosen” assistant director Mitch Hudson, “The Promised Land” reimagines Moses leading the Israelites through the wilderness as a workplace comedy, complete with trust falls, bureaucratic chaos and reluctant leadership.
Starring Wasim No’Mani (“The Chosen”), Shereen Khan and Majed Sayess, the biblical comedy series was inspired by “The Office,” according to Hudson.
“It’s definitely a very different show [from ‘The Chosen’] tonally, but a similar show in terms of the fact that we were trying to portray Scripture in a way that is accurate to what’s on the page, but also relatable to a modern-day audience. Of course, our difference is that our comedy dial is turned up quite a bit by comparison,” he recently said.
“The idea came from one of our producers who brought it to me and said, “Hey, I would love it if you could try to make 'The Office,' but [about] Moses. What do you think? Can you write a pilot, see if we can do something with it?” So I jumped into Scripture. I was rereading Exodus, trying to figure out what would be a starting place, and when I reread the story of Jethro, it all clicked for me.” “The Promised Land” premiered Oct. 1 on YouTube, with a new episode dropping every week until the first season finale on Nov. 14.
