More than 4,000 people gathered at First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, for the premiere celebration of God With Us, a faith-based drama, in an event billed by organizers as “historic” ahead of the film’s select theatrical release November 13. The evening brought together cast, filmmakers, and supporters for an early look at the film alongside its official trailer.
Written and directed by Jimmy Jenkins in his sophomore feature, God With Us reimagines the Nativity story as a contemporary inner-city love story, following childhood sweethearts Mary Anne Thomas and Joseph “Junie” Love, played by Ashley Olivia Fisher and Aspen Kennedy, as they navigate an unexpected pregnancy that tests both their faith and their relationship. Billed as a modern-day parable about grace, growth, and unconditional love, the film grounds a deeply familiar sacred story in contemporary, human stakes. The ensemble cast includes Rotimi and Lil Rel Howery, both of whom also serve as executive producers, alongside Roger Guenveur Smith, Ashley Rios, Gregory Alan Williams, and Clifton Powell.
Setting a Nativity retelling specifically within an inner-city setting, rather than a more conventional period or suburban backdrop, positions the film within a broader tradition of faith-based storytelling that deliberately locates sacred narratives inside communities often underserved by major studio religious films, reframing a story audiences think they already know through a lens centered on Black faith and family life.
Jenkins produces alongside David Jacobson, Asante White, Jasmine K. White, Kellon Akeem, and Daniel Bowie, with an extensive executive producer roster that includes Michael Locksley, Tramiel “Twin” Clark, James Crawford, Pep Hamilton, John K. Jenkins, Michelle S. Duffie, Pastor Mike Jr., Tyler Gould, Trina Jenkins, and Joshua Jenkins. The film is distributed by Blue Harbor Entertainment, with Variance Films handling its theatrical release.
With a turnout this large well ahead of its actual release date, God With Us enters its theatrical run with an unusually strong early indicator of the community support it can likely count on once it reaches wider audiences.