Billie Mintz on Jesus Town, USA

Filmmaker Billie Mintz is Jewish but was always fascinated by Christians and their faith in Jesus Christ. So one day, he decided to set off in search of Jesus in the heart of America's Bible Country.

And he found him — in a way  — in a small town in Oklahoma called the Holy City of Wichitas.

Every Easter since the 1920s, the town has put on a huge outdoor production of the Passion Play, telling the story of Jesus Christ from birth to crucifixion to resurrection.

Hundreds of local residents take part. Some of them mime the actions in full costume, while others deliver the lines over loudspeakers.  It all takes place in a large valley with life size structures as sets and audiences watching from the surrounding hills.

As Billie's film Jesus Town, USA opens, it turns out the man who had played Jesus for the last several years has decided to retire. A new Jesus is cast: Zack Little, a goofy but lovable 24-year-old with a love of video games and anime.

Zack also has a secret, one that he fears would turn the town against him if it got out.

Billie talked to us about how he made his film, why he decided to shoot it in a semi-scripted style, and how he related to the Christian town as Jew from Toronto.

Links:
Watch the trailer
Jesus Town, USA on IMDB

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