Professor Abel Marquez, executive director of Hope Channel Inter-America, will be a special guest presenter at the inaugural Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (JAMU) Film Festival. The event will take place on Sabbath, May 10, 2025, at the West Jamaica Conference Centre, starting at 3:00 p.m.
The Festival is a collaborative effort between JAMU and Hope Channel Inter-America. It aims to promote and encourage the use of short films to uncover members’ creativity while winning and retaining souls for Christ.
“We hope this initiative will inspire every attendee artistically and, beyond that, begin a network of Adventist film producers in Jamaica who will use every camera, every script, and every scene to create messages that speak of God and His love,” said Marquez.
“More than just a technique, film is a universal language—one we use at Hope Channel to share messages of faith, love, and hope. We have precisely that commitment: creativity in the service of values that transform lives.”
Márquez, a native of Mexico, is a commissioned minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who has worked for the church since 1992, consistently engaged in communication. He began his service as a producer in the North Mexican Union of Seventh-day Adventists. He was later called to Montemorelos University, where he served as a professor, communication director, and dean of the School of Arts and Communication. In 2008, he was appointed Inter-American Division of Seventh-day Adventists (IAD) associate communication director. In 2015, he was elected department director and Hope Channel Inter-America executive director. He holds a degree in visual arts and a master’s in communication management.
“We look forward to having Professor Marquez in Jamaica and to benefiting from his vast experience in communication and film-making as we navigate our first-ever Festival,” said Nigel Coke, Communication Director for JAMU.
“Jamaica has many creative and digital disciples who have done innovative work for their churches and groups,” said Nigel Coke, Communication Director for JAMU. “Our primary focus is to provide an opportunity for Adventist Creative Disciples to hone their talents while providing an avenue for witnessing to non-believers and establishing a firm foundation in the faith of believers.”
“I am anxiously looking forward to the Festival and extend an invitation to all interested persons,” Coke added.
The keynote speaker will be Mr. Everett Wiles, the former General Manager of NCU Media Group, who currently serves as Vice President of Marketing and Communication at Washington Adventist University in the USA.
The main presenter will be Dr. Lizbeth Elejade, a professor and film producer at Montemorelos University in Mexico and the festival’s chief judge.
The Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) and Caribbean Business Exchange (CBX), a dedicated cable TV channel featuring content and messaging produced by the JSE and regional and international broadcasting partners, are on board to assist with the Festival’s awards, recording, and delayed coverage. NCU TV and Radio, Bless TV, and the West Conference Communication Network (WCCN) will broadcast the event live. It will also be streamed on the YouTube channels of the JAMU and West Jamaica Conference.
The festival theme is “Recapturing the Spirit of Mission,” and the submitted films are categorized into Music and Animation, Short Films and Mobile Films, Public Service Announcements, and Commercials.
The Festival’s format includes showcasing top entries, presentations on filmmaking and Hope Chanel, and an awards ceremony that recognizes the best short films in various categories.
Through collaboration with regional media centers, Hope Channel Inter-America produces content tailored to the diverse cultures within the IAD territory, ensuring that messages of hope are delivered in a meaningful and accessible way. It seeks to inform, educate, and bring about positive changes in people’s lives by presenting content that resonates with their specific cultural contexts.
The territory of the IAD, headquartered in Miami, spans 37 countries, including the Caribbean Islands, Colombia, and Venezuela in the south, all of Central America, and Mexico in North America.
