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On the 10th anniversary of the martyrdom of 21 Christian men at the hands of ISIS, Jonathan Roumie (of The Chosen) and a team released a short film about the moment when these men refused to deny their faith and laid down their lives for God.
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After seeing this striking film, you may wonder about what led the producers to create The 21 and how they were able to tell us so much more of the story than just what ISIS’s video of execution showed 10 years ago.
How the film got started
Taking a viral video from ISIS and turning it into a stunning portrayal of modern day martyrs’ heroism and sacrifice is no small feat. Producer Mandi Hart shared the impetus for the project:
When my business partner Mark Rodgers traveled to Cairo in 2019 for the opening of the Coptic cathedral, he visited "garbage city" (where Coptic families live among the garbage they are responsible to collect and sort). He saw pictures of the martyrs in homes and on buildings and was reminded of their story, and the fact that only the ISIS video existed at that point. That began a conversation about how the martyrs' story could be more honorably and accurately told.
From there, they connected with Coptic people in the Washington, D.C., area for their input and decided to tell the martyrs’ story through animation and Coptic iconography.
The filmmakers were able to draw from the stories of former ISIS members who were eyewitnesses to the martyrdom. Hart shares that these men reported seeing “strange figures” accompanying the martyrs and other supernatural occurrences. A lot of the script is translated from the words of these men.
The director, Tod Polson, gained further context for the lives of the martyrs by journeying to the hometown of many of them in Minya, Libya. There he got to know their families, clergy, and community members, allowing him to more fully portray these heroic men.
These sources, along with information from a reporter who had been with the Libyan military helped flesh out the script, according to Hart.
What would you be willing to die for?
When asked if there was a moment in the process of creating the film that stuck out to her, Producer Mandi Hart said,
I think we all have been struck by the question, "What would you be willing to die for?" and have been personally wrestling with it throughout this process. I was continually encouraged and inspired by the artists who reached out to volunteer their time and talents to see the film produced. We had a global reach in terms of our production team, and now the film is reaching a global audience!
Like so many others around the world, I saw the original footage of the martyrdom when it happened 10 years ago. I wasn’t sure that this short film would change my understanding of that pivotal moment, but it most certainly did.
As Hart said, the film prompts each viewer to ask themselves, “What would I be willing to die for?”
“The martyrs,” she said, “valued Jesus Christ so much that they gave up their lives for Him. We hope the audience considers that and explores what makes Jesus worthy of such sacrifice.”
Roman and Coptic
Pope Francis announced on May 11, 2023, in front of Patriarch Tawadros II, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, who was present in Rome, that the 21 Christian martyrs, including the 20 Copts killed by Daech in 2015 in Libya, would be included in the Roman martyrology,.
This is historic: The Catholic Church and the Coptic Church have saints of the first centuries in common, but these were the first saints recognized by both Churches since the split of the 5th century.
Pope Francis and Tawadros II were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting between their predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Shenouda III (1973-2023), the first meeting between a Bishop of Rome and a Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Learn more about the Coptic Church here.
And you can find out more about 'The 21' and gain access to watch the film here.
