Gospel Herald's Exclusive Interview: 'Joan of Arc' Director, Russell Holt Discusses the Life, Faith of the 15th Century French Heroine

Leah Marieann Klett : Nov 25, 2015
Gospel Herald

"Going through these documents, one finds Joan in there—things she said, verbatim. It was actually kind of a spiritual experience to read her actual words and how she responded to this intense investigation during these moving trials. Her faith and courage comes through very clearly, as does the fact that she was inspired by God."

This holiday season, the highly-anticipated new docudrama "Joan of Arc" will air on BYUtv and will provide viewers an in-depth look at the amazing story of the unlikely French heroine. (Photo: BYUtv/via Gospel Herald)

Airing on Thanksgiving, November 26 at 6 PM MT with rebroadcasts throughout the holiday season, "Joan of Arc" is told through the eyes of the young woman and provides dramatized scenes of her life and interviews with scholars and experts.

"This story is told by people of faith who understand Joan's spiritual experiences and who appreciate them and don't try to minimize them and explain them away," Russell Holt, the Emmy-award winning documentary filmmaker who directed and co-produced "Joan of Arc" told the Gospel Herald in an exclusive interview.

"We embraced Joan's spirituality and the powerful spiritual experiences she had as a girl, and portrayed those experiences in the most accurate and spiritual way that they've ever been portrayed in any telling of her life."

Filmed in France, the docudrama uses the actual 15th-century records of Joan's trial for heresy, and testimony from those who knew her to bring truly her story to life.

"I went back to the original 15th century documents for Joan's court trials, which are lengthy and very detailed," Holt revealed. "Because of these court documents, we probably know more about Joan of Arc than anybody in Medieval times. Going through these documents, one finds Joan in there—things she said, verbatim. It was actually kind of a spiritual experience to read her actual words and how she responded to this intense investigation during these moving trials. Her faith and courage comes through very clearly, as does the fact that she was inspired by God."

Joan's story is undeniably one of tremendous faith and courage: At just thirteen years old in 1425, she experienced a series of angelic encounters. Despite having no military training, the humble farm girl obeyed the angel's commands and embarked on a seemingly impossible mission—to...

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