'Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt' to Shoot in Israel This October

LOS ANGELES, March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT, the motion picture based on Anne Rice's best-selling novel about Christ's early years, will begin shooting in Israel this October. Good News Holdings' decision to make the film in Israel has the full support of the Israeli government and casting has begun in Israel to find the boy who will play Jesus at the age of 7. A theatrical release is planned for Fall 2008.

The Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles, Ehud Danoch said, "We are pleased that Good News Holdings chose Israel as the location for the making of this movie. Israel has much to offer filmmakers in general and is obviously the most suitable backdrop for films of a religious nature, specifically films dealing with Christian history."

David Kirkpatrick, co-founder of Good News Holdings said, "It was always important to Anne Rice that we make every effort to be authentic to the cultural context in which Jesus grew up. We felt the best way to match her exhaustive background research on Jesus' life and times was by shooting the film in Israel."

CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT tells the story of Jesus Christ at age seven as he and his family depart Egypt to return home to Nazareth. Told from his childhood perspective, it movingly celebrates the character and strength of the young Jesus as he grows into his religious identity. Its many highlights include Jesus coming to terms with the circumstances of His birth in Bethlehem and his growing realization of his calling. Set in a turbulent era against the backdrop of Roman domination, the story brings to life day to day Jewish life during the era of Second Temple Judaism. From the beauty of worship in the largest temple of the ancient world to the regular prayers and readings of Jewish family life, Rice's research included the latest publications in archaeology, geography and social history, as well as intense biblical study.

Good News Holdings is planning to announce a director, key casting and production hires as well as the theatrical distributor in coming months.

Los Angeles-based Good News Holdings is a multimedia studio specializing in the development and distribution of Spiritainment.