Directing

Dallas Jenkins

Born 25 July 1975 · St. Charles, Illinois, USA · 51

Dallas Lawrence Jenkins (born July 25, 1975) produced the $2 million independent Hometown Legend at the age of 25, ultimately guiding it to Warner Bros. for distribution. Jenkins made his directing debut with the short film Cliché, which FilmThreat called "Fast and funny...ingenious," and his next short film, Midnight Clear, starring Stephen Baldwin, won a Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival and was the opening night selection of the San Diego Film Festival. In 2006, he served as co-executive producer of Though None Go with Me, based on his father's book that aired on The Hallmark Channel. His feature directing debut, also called Midnight Clear, was based on his short film and was featured in over a dozen film festivals, including winning the Cinequest Film Festival award for "Best First Feature" and the "Audience Choice" award at the Kansas Int'l Film Festival. In 2010, Jenkins directed his second feature, entitled What If..., starring Kevin Sorbo, Kristy Swanson, John Ratzenberger, and Debby Ryan. Jenkins is currently Director of Media at Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago. In 2017, working through his production company, Vertical Church Films, Jenkins released The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, which didn't perform to the studio's expectations. While working to determine his next project, Jenkins began binge-watching different television shows and realized there had never been a multi-season show about Jesus that could be watched in the same way. The Chosen, which debuted in 2017, is the first multi-season series about the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. Primarily set in 1st century Judaea and Galilee, the series depicts Jesus's life through the eyes of those who interacted with him, including His apostles and disciples, Jewish religious leaders, Roman government and military officials, and ordinary citizens. It has received critical acclaim, with recent seasons premiering theatrically. In 2024, in association with Kingdom Story Productions, Jenkins directed a feature adaptation of Barbara Robinson's children's book The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, starring Judy Greer, Pete Holmes, and Lauren Graham. It was critically and commercially successful, grossing over $40 million.