On the heels of the acclaimed documentary series ‘Covenant and Controversy’ and ‘Sheep Among Wolves,’ FAI STUDIOS’ tenth feature film shatters the mold and recreates the Book of Exodus and life of Moses as they have never been seen or heard before: through the imagination of a dying boy and the ballads of his father.
BALLADS OF THE EXODUS breaks new ground on several fronts. It is the first Christian film with an entirely Israeli cast and crew, shot exclusively in Israel and Saudi Arabia. This watershed film was produced against the political backdrop of the “Abraham Accords,” the normalization of multiple Arab states with Israel, with budding friendships between longtime enemies in the Middle East. The crew was the first group to enter Saudi Arabia weeks after the Saudis opened the country in 2019 to international tourism for the first time in history.
Much of the stunning footage was captured around Jebel al-Lawz, the mountain in northwest Saudi Arabia believed by many to be the real Mount Sinai. Among the various candidates considered by archeologists, Jebel-al-Lawz is the only mountain with an unbroken ancient Jewish, Christian, and Muslim tradition that identifies it as the historical Mount Sinai.
Unique among cinematic retellings of the life of Moses and birth of the Israeli nation, BALLADS OF THE EXODUS was shot and produced on location where many of the events of the Book of Exodus actually took place. Director Dalton Thomas and Executive Producers Joel Richardson and Cynthia Hughes canvassed the rich landscapes of Israel and Saudi Arabia to explore the true locations of many of the events in the Book of Exodus before filming began; places like the split rock, the golden calf altar, and of course the real Mount Sinai itself. These jaw-dropping locations are captured on film in a way that blends documentary-style realism and authenticity with an out-of-the-box retelling of one of the most famous stories ever told.
Dalton Thomas (who wrote, directed, and stars in the film), explains that “BALLADS OF THE EXODUS is a nod to and a celebration of classic historical cinema. We’ve attempted to blend the poignant storytelling style of silent films, the scope and scale of epics by David Lean and Cecil B. DeMille, the rich art and set design of Akira Kurosawa’s Japanese samurai films, the gritty post-apocalyptic landscape of the ‘Mad Max’ films, and the rich, contemplative, patient cinematography of Andrei Tarkovsky, set to the soundscape of eclectic ballads, songs that tell stories.”
Thomas’ vision for the approach to BALLADS OF THE EXODUS was largely motivated by what he calls “the need for a renaissance in Biblical cinema.” He explains, “If we are trying to retell the greatest stories ever told, I think it’s essential to honor the art and the craft of storytelling (of which I believe filmmaking is one of the greatest forms) and devote ourselves to telling them in ways that honor the beauty, the complexity, the depth, and the implications that these stories deserve. It’s a shame that Biblical films and TV shows are notorious for not doing that.”
Hughes' inspiration with the film is to build faith in the accuracy of the Scriptures. "When you stand at the split rock in the dry heat of the desert, you can sympathize with the grumblings of the Israelites. If these archeological sites are exactly as the Scriptures describe, then our faith should be strengthened to believe in the miracles and stories of the Old Testament.”
Opting to forego any use of visual effects or CGI, Thomas, Director of Photography Ryan Tidrick, and their Israeli crew sought to accomplish every scene with practical effects on location where the events actually happened. While the film is indeed more of an intimate character-driven drama than a blockbuster action film, the scale and scope of many of the more dramatic moments of the Exodus story were executed with remarkable realism.
With only a few short minutes of dialogue at the beginning of the film, BALLADS OF THE EXODUS is something akin to a silent film and a Broadway Musical that is ironically neither silent nor a musical. While defying traditional categories and genres, the film is driven by a one-of-a-kind musical soundtrack.
The original soundtrack and score of BALLADS OF THE EXODUS was written in the Golan Heights, composed and produced in Warsaw, Poland, and features some of the most talented musicians around the world today, including renowned Israeli artists and members of Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir. Visionary producer Pawel Bzim Zarecki composed what is nothing short of a groundbreaking achievement. With COVID-19 restrictions hindering normal production practices, Zarecki scored, produced, and engineered three-and-a-half hours of music by collaborating remotely with artists all around the world. The music genres of the ballads that undergird the weaving storylines of the film are as diverse and eclectic as the international collective of singers and musicians who contributed to them. From sweeping orchestral arrangements to classic reggae, from Americana folk ballads to heavy industrial rock, from aggressive rap to rapturous Gospel choirs, each ballad draws from a different musical heritage and opens up new ways of considering the implications of the story of the life of Moses. The album is sure to be recognized as a watershed in Christian music.
This three-and-a-half hour musical and cinematic experience was shot in a TrinityVision format of an ultra-wide 3.33:1 aspect ratio bringing the dramatic landscapes where Moses walked to life on the big screen. BALLADS OF THE EXODUS includes a musical Overture and Intermission in the spirit of old epic films like ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ ‘Ben Hur,’ and ‘The Ten Commandments.’
The cinematography, music, costumes, make-up, set design, and authentic locations set BALLADS OF THE EXODUS apart as the most unique Biblical film ever produced. Subverting expectations of what Biblical films should look and sound like, FAI STUDIOS is attempting to open new frontiers of storytelling through filmmaking.
The film will premiere in Tel Aviv on June 4 and in Dallas on June 24. It will be available for streaming exclusively on the Frontier Alliance International App (available on all major App stores). The official worldwide release date will be announced in June on the FAI APP.
