(RNS) — Dallas Jenkins couldn’t have known who would win the presidential election just three days before his new movie was set to release. But what he did know was that his Christmas film based on a beloved children’s book would release into a politically charged environment.
“We live in very divided times. We’re in a very tribal election year, and so that’s on everybody’s mind. But something about Christmas has always united people,” said Jenkins in an interview a few weeks before Donald Trump was elected president for the second time.
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” a new film from “The Chosen” director, opens in theaters today (Nov. 8) and aims to woo broad audiences with its cozy vibes and poignant-but-not-preachy Christmas message. Filmmakers said they hope the film draws both the faithful and faith-curious.
It’s a tall order, even for Jenkins, whose runaway hit about the life of Jesus has appealed to evangelicals, Catholics and mainstream critics. Still, Jenkins, who has been pursuing the rights to “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” for two decades, believes the tale of six irreverent kids hijacking a Christmas play might be just the story U.S. audiences are …