This past fall was a whirlwind of activity in IMM. First in August and again in October we welcomed new team members to Spain. While helping them get settled in Spain, we were also doing casting work, scheduling, getting scripts translated and prepped, refining our inventory list, and getting everything ready to film two projects in Moroccan Arabic (or Darija): Season Two of The Heritage Project and a piece for social media called Idris and I.
The most challenging part of this pre-production was casting actors. Idris and I tells the story around a man in Morocco who decides to become a Christian and is then fired from his job. In the piece, we hear from people who know Idris and are so impacted by his uncompromising faith that they decide to learn more about Jesus.
This piece is especially groundbreaking because it is one of few (if any) Christian media pieces in Darija where the characters speak on camera. Often, when pieces like this are made in Darija, they are done using subtitles or voice over. This provides more security for Darija speakers lending their voice because their faces never appear on camera. However, the ministry that contacted us about producing Idris and I specifically wanted on-camera dialogue. They felt it would be more powerful for Darija-speaking viewers to look in the face of someone speaking their language and sharing a story of faith.
We agreed with them that this would make for a powerful video, but it was not easy to find actors. We needed people who were from Morocco, living in or able to travel to Spain, native Darija speakers, and willing to portray a Christian character. Becoming a Christian is not only illegal in Morocco, but continues to pose a threat to a Moroccan’s safety even after leaving the country.
It took months of emails, texts, phone calls, and follow-up. There were a couple of days where we considered pulling the plug on the project completely, but by God’s grace and some unexpected connections, we were able to find almost all of the actors we needed. So we decided to move forward in faith and begin filming. December rolled around, and we packed up the van and drove to the studio where we would be filming these new Darija pieces.
Though the stress of casting was over, there were still some obstacles to work through: It was the first time this specific group of IMM-ers had been on a shoot together (and the first IMM shoot ever for a couple). At the last minute, three of our team members who were supposed to be on the shoot were no longer able to come. And on top of this, a couple of people on our now smaller team were feeling under the weather. From the outside, we did not have ideal circumstances for a shoot. But we went ahead with it anyway and, as He often does, God used our little to accomplish something big.
We were able to film everything we had set out to; we even had time to reshoot when necessary to get the best possible take. All of the equipment functioned as it was supposed to. Every job from lighting to script supervision got done without a hiccup, and even though we were new to being on set together, the team dynamic was great.
These may seem like small victories, but we serve a God who is attentive to detail. He knows our needs, big and small. So if having enough space on a hard drive or being able to work smoothly as a team is what you need that day, He knows it. And how much more is He fighting for us when we’re creating something to advance His word?
We are so excited to get these projects on screens in Morocco! We know that the stories and messages in these pieces will bring spiritual life and truth about God to many who have never had a relationship with Jesus. We know that God will use them in mighty ways, but we are still in need of a few Darija-speaking actors. It can be discouraging when we need something and we don’t see God providing, especially after asking and seeking for a long time. But He knew our needs on set in December and He knows our needs now. We know He is working even when we can’t see it.
Will you pray with us that we find these actors and that filming schedules line up so that we can finish our Darija projects? And will you pray for the people of Morocco who will see these pieces – that their hearts would be tender to God’s voice and their spiritual eyes opened? We can’t wait to see how God will move!