A Child is Born
The birth of Christ comes to life in The Nativity Story

Los Angeles, CA – A cinematic journey into the heart of history’s greatest story, The Nativity Story is poised to come to the big screen for the first time in a major motion picture event.

With a tag line that declares, “One couple. One journey. One child...who would change the world...forever,” the December 1st release of New Line Cinema’s The Nativity Story is being feverishly marketed to the Christian community.

Through the successes of The Passion of the Christ and Narnia, Hollywood is getting the message that the Christian audience is sitting up and taking notice.

The Nativity Story chronicles the arduous journey of two people, Mary and Joseph, a miraculous pregnancy, and the history-defining birth of Jesus Christ.

This dramatic and compelling story comes to life in a major motion picture starring Academy Award® nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider) as Mary, Oscar Isaac (Guerrilla) as Joseph, and Academy Award® nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog) as Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.

The actual story of the Nativity can be found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

The Nativity Story was directed by Catherine Hardwicke from a screenplay by Mike Rich (Finding Forrester, The Rookie).

Filmmakers are bringing an unprecedented level of commitment to ensure the authenticity not only of the Nativity story itself, but of the film’s look as well.

“We are looking for epic intimacy,” said director Catherine Hardwicke. “We want this journey to be big and beautiful, but we want to feel what these people felt. I hope audiences can relate to the film on a personal level and find some inspiration to get through their own challenges and difficulties.”

“We chose Catherine because she cuts against the grain of the picture-book version of the movie that could have been made,” producer Wyck Godfrey added. “She has had great success at really capturing the lives of young people in particular, and the conflict, crisis, and pain of growing up. The idea of bringing her point of view to Biblical times is very interesting.”

Hardwicke, along with writer Mike Rich, and production designer Stefano Ortolani, spent countless hours researching the era to ensure every detail looked and felt authentic. Because the actual locations of Bethlehem and Nazareth have become fairly modernized over the years, the production decided to shoot in the village of Matera, Italy, which has been virtually unchanged for centuries (and was previously used as a location for The Passion of the Christ).

“Matera is more authentic than the actual sites now,” said Rich. “Present-day Nazareth is a modern town. Jerusalem is a very modern town. Even Bethlehem is not what it used to be. Matera offers absolutely every authentic aspect of those communities.” Additionally, the production journeyed to Ouarzazate, Morocco, where it shot scenes involving Herod’s castle and the temple of Jerusalem at the same locations used in such films as Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven.

In the month of November, The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) cooperated with New Line Cinema, the Hollywood studio that produced blockbuster movies such as The Lord of the Rings, and Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution to facilitate preview opportunities of the new movie, The Nativity Story, to the evangelical community.

“The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada is involved in this free preview of The Nativity Story film for church leaders, which will be released in theatres on December 1, because we see the portrayal of this Biblical account as a positive outreach opportunity for local churches,” said Bruce Clemenger, EFC President.

“The Nativity Story is a beautifully crafted epic film that left me elated as I thought of the many thousands of regular theatregoers who will have a chance to see and hear the true Scriptural story of Christmas presented in a believable way. May we as the church be prepared for this great opportunity,” added David A. Macfarlane, EFC Director, National Initiatives.

Churches will be able to buy group tickets at reduced rates prior to the film’s release. Visit www.thenativitystory.com/groupsales.

On Sunday, November 26th, The Nativity Story will become the first feature film ever to premiere at the Vatican. It will be released in North America on December 1st, 2006. For more information please visit: www.thenativitystory.com.

Editor’s note: Take some Kleenex with you.