“Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer”: New Documentary Film Begins Theatrical Release in February

NJ (I-Newswire) February 14, 2011 - “Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer” is currently in sneak preview release from SnagFilms, only on selected Comcast and Verizon Fios Video-On-Demand cable. Theatrical screenings begin in February 2011. HarperOne companion book: April 5, 2011. DVD: May 3rd, 2011.

Join Emmy Award winning theologian and author, Dr. Norris J. Chumley and Very Rev. Dr. John A. McGuckin in this film as they travel to the ancient lands of the east, discovering the Jesus Prayer firsthand in the regions where Christianity and the Church began. Eight years in the making “Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer” takes you on a mystical and fascinating voyage that unearths some of the world’s oldest treasures of religious art and sacred altars that were never before seen by the outside world, until now.

Known by generations of Eastern Christians, the ancient and powerful Jesus Prayer, dating back to the times of the Apostles, remains largely unknown in the west. For the first time recorded on film, experience the simple prayer as it is revealed by monks, desert hermits and nuns throughout the Middle East, Mediterranean, Eastern Europe and Russia.

With expeditions to St. Anthony’s, the oldest surviving monastery and church in the world, St. Catherine’s Monastery at Mt. Sinai, and hermitages on Mt. Athos, encounters with Christian sages and masters in Transylvania and Romania and explorations through 12th century caves and monk’s cells in Kiev, “Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer” is a religious film that provides a never before, first-hand access into these holy locations, secret practices, and ancient prayer, taking you on a once in a lifetime trip to the heart of God.

Norris J. Chumley is an Emmy Award winning documentary producer, director and author whose work has been featured on PBS, NBC, ABC, A&E, USA, SHOWTIME, and HBO/Cinemax channels. With a B.F.A. from NYU and a PhD in Theology, he went on to create hundreds of commercials, documentaries and specials including Getting the Love You Want (PBS, with Oprah Winfrey, Harville Hendrix and Helen L. Hunt) and The Gospel According to Jesus (HBO/Cinemax). He has received numerous awards including the SONY/American Film Institute’s Grand Prize in Video and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Cultural Programming. He is currently a featured columnist for the Huffington Post, Executive Producer and Director of Media for Columbia University’s Department of Religion and the chairman of Manhattan Neighborhood Networks, the original and largest public-access television network in America.

Rev. Dr. John Anthony McGuckin is Nielsen Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine Christian History, Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University. Born in Newcastle, England, he is the priest of the Romanian Orthodox Church, a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Society of Arts and has authored nineteen books including: Standing in God’s Holy Fire: The Byzantine Spiritual Tradition, The Orthodox Church: Its History and Spiritual Culture and The Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul’s Ascent from the Desert Fathers and other Early Christian Contemplatives.

For more information on where this documentary film is booking, visit the official website at: www.JesusPrayerMovie.com

For more information on booking the film in theaters, please contact:

Mat Levy
Mat (at) PassionRiver (dot) com
732-321-0711 x135

About Passion River Films:
Since 1998, Passion River Films has been devoted to marketing, distributing, and representing unique independent films, foreign movies, documentaries, and special interest titles. For more information visit www.passionriver.com

Company Contact Information
Passion River Films
Mat Levy
416 Main Street
2nd Floor
08840
Phone : 732-321-0711