First Black Jesus Movie Aims to Unite Blacks and Jews

LOS ANGELES, April 13 /PRNewswire/ -- "Color of the Cross," a Nu-LiteEntertainment production, is an independent, biblically charged religiousbiopic based on the last 48 hours of Christ's life and stands to be themost controversial depiction of Jesus to date. In this gripping, two-hourepic, Jesus is portrayed as a black Jew. This retelling of the biblicalstory from a black perspective seeks to repair the anti-Semitism that hasbeen associated with the story of Christ. The inclusion of Black Jews during Passover in the film makes a clearstatement toward the shared history of African and the Middle Easterncultures without being offensive. Unlike "Passion of the Christ," "Color ofthe Cross" chose not to focus on the bloody torture of Christ'scrucifixion. Instead the film focuses on the human pain and suffering thatChrist, the Disciples, and Christ's family endured. "Color of the Cross"reaches across a cultural divide to inspire and challenge its viewersintellectually. According to the film's director, Jean Claude LaMarre, "To watch ablack man on screen, being referred to as rabbi, or to see him partaking ina Seder meal and observing Passover really blurs the lines that divideblacks and Jews in this country. We are part of the same history." "Colorof the Cross" seeks to stimulate and awaken peace and unity between allraces of people. Recent programs such as the History Channel's "Warriors of the Bible"clearly shows the diversity of cultures as they existed in the geographicalregion where the Bible stories occurred. And like many of the recentprograms flooding the media such as the Book of Judas, Ron Howard's "The DaVinci Code," etc, "Color of the Cross" also bases its story not just onscriptural interpretation but other historical data with manyinterpretations pointing to the fact that Christ very well may have beendark skinned. The film will have a theatrical release in October 2006. Revealingclips and exclusive information can be found at:http://www.colorofthecross.com/