Discovering Hope in Jesus Land: A Tale of Family and Resilience

Title: Jesus Land

Type: Feature Film

Production Company: WAVEFRONT PICTURES

Website: wavefrontpictures.com

Phone: 408-836-7344

Status: February 2025

Location: Puerto Rico – Dominican Republic – Georgia – Indiana

Producer: Jeffrey Allard, Bernard Stewart, Andrea Batista

Writer/Director: Saila Kariat (saila.kariat@gmail.com)

DP: Valentina Caniglia

Cast: Ella Anderson, Xavier Jones, Nikki Roumel

Casting Director: Adrienne Stern

Production Company Contact: bernard.stewart@aje3studios.com

Content: The close bond between a teenage White sister and her adopted Black brother survives their harsh Christian fundamentalist home, bigoted community, and brutal reform school. Jesus Land is the true story of Julia Scheeres (Anderson) and her adopted Black brother David (Jones) who struggle to navigate their tumultuous childhood in their harsh Christian fundamentalist home and the surrounding bigoted community in 80’s rural Indiana. When they rebel against their abusive parents, they are sent to a reform school in the Dominican Republic, where they are imprisoned in a compassionless world that preaches blind obedience over meaningful religious content. Throughout their ordeals they dream of a better life in a diverse, free environment. Within Jesus Land, themes of love, hope, loyalty, race, religion, and family are woven together, creating a narrative of depth and complexity.

Synopsis

“Jesus Land” brings to life the poignant true story of Julia Scheeres and her adopted brother David as they face the harsh realities of a Christian fundamentalist upbringing in rural Indiana during the 1980s. As Julia, portrayed by Ella Anderson, and David, played by Xavier Jones, struggle against the norms of their bigoted community, their bond becomes both a source of strength and a beacon of resilience.

Their rebellion against the oppressive and abusive environment leads them to a reform school in the Dominican Republic, a place that offers no solace but rather an unforgiving regimen masked as discipline. In this bleak setting, the siblings find themselves yearning for a life characterized by diversity and freedom, dreaming of a world where love and acceptance prevail over judgment and cruelty.