The Uncertainty campaign, organised by GAiN Europe, has just come to an end. GAiN Europe, Global Adventist Internet Network, is a community of communicators, technologists, and media professionals in the Seventh-day Adventist Church from European countries. GAiN Europe is an extension of GAiN International, which operates worldwide.
According to the purpose of this community, the Uncertainty project has been organised with the specific objective to portray the way in which we, as humans, relate to our internal fears. It also examines how uncertainty about the future creates the perfect setting for fears to appear and, in too many cases, dominate us.
The whole campaign, as can be seen from the web page, has been structured mainly by offering films and video clips. Specifically, one full-length film, one short film, a documentary, a series of ten stories, and 20 social network spots.
The project also foresees the publication of a book that will be released shortly.
The movie, Uncertainty, is a short film about fears, life decisions, doubts, and faith. It tells the story of a young woman who, faced with an important life decision, works through a series of fears and traumas that have accompanied her throughout her life.
In our current world climate—with the fears over coronavirus, the global outrage over “black lives matter” issues, and current financial and emotional instability—these films cover a range of real-life stories and experiences that can touch the hearts of many people.
Fear blocks us. Fear makes us doubt. Fear lies to us. Can uncertainty be the best school to help us learn to live with our fears?
This is also the refrain of the short video, Uncertainty, where a young lady is struggling with her illness and asks God to provide a miracle. How to answer her enquiry: might God heal me?
Five videoclips shared the stories of ten protagonists from across the world who have had to deal with challenging life choices – whether facing a life sentence for murder, the challenges of employment, seeking what the future holds as a refugee, the desperate hope to be able to start a family, or the issue of facing the future with a debilitating illness.
The stories are real, but so is the hope that they bring into an uncertain world.
This is the same for the documentary. 2020 has surely not been the year we all expected. A year full of misfortunes, doubts, and fears. A year full of uncertainties. What if uncertainty is the best school to strengthen our faith? Four young people from the United States reflect deeply on the events of 2020 and share their experiences and how they have faced the challenges of this year, and how to face an uncertain future.
The campaign also included 20 short inspirational spots for social media on uncertainty, future, and hope. They are a few images inviting us to see beyond the obvious.
The Uncertainty project has had a long process of elaboration and implementation. It is the result of the joint work of different countries, media entities, and five worldwide regions of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church: Inter-European Division (EUD), Trans-European Division (TED), North-American Division (NAD), Inter-American Division (IAD), and South-American Division (SAD). The project started on February 2019 and was inaugurated in May 2020, during a GAiN Europe event online (due to COVID-19).
The work followed a ‘Potluck Model’ (Community-Centered Model) and started with one idea, under joint coordination from Hope Media Europe, headed by Adrian Duré. It was implemented through different strategies and languages, according to the regions and countries involved. All the videos were produced in different regions by different media structures of the Adventist Church.
Soon, a book entitled Uncertainty will be published. It will include many articles written by different authors, under the coordination of the editor of Signs of the Times, Norel Jacob. Professionals from across the spectrum of Adventism write about dealing with special aspects of uncertainty. Do you have questions about God, religion, or faith? How do you deal with trauma and issues of mental or physical health? How can we change focus while dealing with uncertain issues?
Adrian Duré, consulting supervisor for the whole video production, highlighted the fact that big European media distribution companies are interested in distributing the Uncertainty products to a larger and more secular audience. Soon, airlines and outstanding TV channels of Europe could have the possibility to broadcast the Uncertainty movie & videos, giving opportunity to the Church to be relevant in post-modern societies.
Furthermore, Adrian Duré monitored social media during the release and noted that it “generated a very positive and constructive discussion. Most viewers felt that the movie, and especially the genre, is perfect for portraying a sad reality, and a situation that so many people around the globe are experiencing.” The Seventh-day Adventist Church has intentionally become more focused on supporting and raising awareness for people with mental health issues.
Here, some relevant feedback and comments regarding the Uncertainty movie:
“Excellent movie! Only the people who live with this disease know and understand what they wanted to communicate in this film.” (M.G. Argentina); “I think this film was made for me ...” (F.A.H –NN); “It seems that this film tells my own story, it describes almost all of my internal conflicts. Since my childhood, I have lived a constant battle in my mind; I had already reached rock bottom where only a miracle could save me, and this miracle happened. Jesus Christ is the way to truth and life, his word is my refuge…” (L.S –Brazil) “My life summarized in this film…”(P.D –Brazil); “Became my favorite movie. This movie was for me.” (B. Brazil); “I watched the movie four times. Every time I watch it, I recognize my problem, my conflict. This is exactly what I needed, to recognize myself, my problem…” (NN-Mexico); “I loved the short film, it helped me to turn my eyes to God.” (NN); “What a powerful short film! PTL [praise the Lord], what hit me was that every character had a story that they either unveiled or shared, this needs to be acknowledged: when God makes paths cross and the best part is that God may seem like the invisible element here but He is the MOST visible God bless. (Nuks); “Powerful and well-produced...I felt like it could become a miniseries. Blessings to you and those this message reaches”. (NN); “This series is a help from God for me. We have a journey and, in this journey, we have many difficulties, but God who is greater than everything and He helps us in everything we go through…” (NN).
When asked what this project really means for him, Adrian Duré answered: “Working very close to the contents of this campaign, I constantly found peace and hope during the difficult times in which we are living. I am sure that this campaign and the content created for the project came in the right moment, where so many people live with fears, doubts, and uncertainties. As we decided the topic of this campaign, we didn’t know that our world would experience what we are experiencing right now. We live in a world full of uncertainties. We don’t know anything about the future. COVID-19 changed the structures of our lives. Also, the resources and materials created for the project represent, for me, a fount from which to find peace, to learnt to live day by day, to have hope”.
Corrado Cozzi, Communications Director of the Inter-European Region, added: “The Uncertainty campaign is certainly a reflection for our days. We find the expression ‘uncertainty’ almost everywhere because of this unexpected pandemic. With this Uncertainty campaign we did not claim to solve ‘the problem’, but we believe it can help to address the most salient aspects with a more realistic approach. It is not a question of mere resignation, but of strengthening one's conscience in the face of reality. And we believe that this reinforcement comes from the Lord.”
The second season of the Uncertainty project will start in April 2021.
View the films and the series on the Uncertainty web page.
