Today marks the wide release of Hillsong: Let Hope Rise, the documentary of arguably the most popular worship band in the world. For eight-and-a-half months the Australian group, Hillsong United, was accompanied by a film crew, documenting their performances around the world and the behind-the-scenes and at home struggles that reveal the reality and sacrifice of being in their shoes.
The band and director Michael John Warren were recently interviewed by Relevant. When asked how the idea for the film came to be, Pastor Brian Houston shared that a Hollywood producer saw them perform at the Hollywood Bowl and was so moved, he wanted to share the experience with others.
When Michael John Warren (who had directed documentaries on Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj) was approached about the project and found out it was for a Christian rock band, he said “Why would I ever make a Christian rock film?”
With a strong Catholic upbringing that he had run away from, he realized he needed to release his negative preconceptions about faith. He said:
As someone who believes that they are open-minded or hopes to be open-minded, I let go of it and then I dived into the world, and I met them.
I realized that these were very sincere people with deep beliefs and a very righteous mission.
Then the other thing that happened is that I heard the music. I realized that we had the potential to make a fantastic film–a film about music but music that has a mission that’s more than just let’s sell a bunch of records and let’s be the best rapper.
They’re not just trying to do that; they’re actually on this mission to help people find what they need in life and to bring them into afterlife.
Joel Houston describes the movie as an opportunity for them to reveal the layers.
You make it personal for somebody and the best way to make it personal is to be personal yourself.
This is why we sing, why we write these songs. This is why we tour, why we leave our families behind. This is why we do this, because God has changed our life.
Hillsong United’s hit song “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” has topped the Billboard Christian chart a record of 61 weeks. Lead vocalist on “Oceans,” Taya Smith, sat down with Joel Houston and Billboard to discuss the new documentary.
When asked, “What can fans expect to see?” Smith replied:
Well, mainly, I think that people will see that we’re local church kids, very ordinary folks really, and my hope is that they’ll be impacted, maybe inspired in their own lives and journeys; that if we can do this, just regular people, that they will then be encouraged and can turn that into something extraordinary in their own lives. That’s my hope.
Joel Houston points to a scene in the film where guitarist Jadwin Giles is at home dealing with family struggles to reinforce how normal they all are. “Those moments show us for how human we are, that we’re just like everyone else, and that doing what we do even requires some sacrifice.”
