Steven Spielberg is one of the most influential and successful filmmakers of all time. He is best known for creating films that spawned some of the most enduring and recognizable franchises of all time and also singular films that won critical acclaim. He is the creator of Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, and E.T. But he also was the director of Schindler’s List, Close Encounters of The Third Kind, Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, Lincoln, and Ready Player One. He simply creates powerful and profitable movies whether as the director, writer, or producer. His latest film, Disclosure Day, he keeps up his legacy of success and returns to his science fiction roots.
Disclosure Day is an alien movie. But its perspective is profoundly human. As we begin the film we are presented with a classic mystery box, a lot of seemingly random details presented with a pressing unknown connection that forces viewers to engage in the journey. The cast includes a few superstars such as Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, and Colman Domingo that we expect to give the stellar performances they give, but also some lesser known but brilliant performers such as Eve Hewson, Josh O’Connor, and Wyatt Russell. Together we watch as their extraordinary and simple characters face the existential threat of extraterrestrial encounters being disclosed not as fable but as fact to the entire world.
Their stories converge and contract in ways that raise profound questions about truth, uncertainty, choice, faith, doubt, responsibility, curiosity, and destiny. The subject of aliens among us and life out there beyond our planet is a conversation that is decades old. But the way Spielberg brings that conversation to life through the choices and tensions these humans face is illuminating. The result is a visually and philosophically awesome presentation that is stimulating and satisfying. And true to his craft, Disclosure Day is another film that is simply put just a good movie. I encourage you to see it for yourself and wrestle with one of the fundamental questions of faith it raises: how would it impact your faith in God if you knew that humans were not the most important beings in the universe?
What if the key to healthier, more fulfilling relationships isn’t finding the right person — but fixing our aim?
In an exclusive UrbanFaith interview, Pastor Michael Todd and producer DeVon Franklin open up about Relationship Goals, the new Prime Video film inspired by Todd’s bestselling book. Starring Kelly Rowland and Method Man, the movie challenges cultural myths about love and romance, inviting viewers to place faith at the center of their relationship journey. From dismantling false expectations to pursuing authentic, God-honoring connections, Todd and Franklin share how Relationship Goals reframes what it really means to build lasting love.
Sarah’s Oil is a true black history story of fame and fortune. Sarah Rector was a young Black girl with tremendous faith who made a fortune becoming the youngest black millionaire in segregated America. Her story is important history that was rarely told until now, and thanks to a committed group of creators, her story is now being told in movie theaters across the country. UrbanFaith sat down with one of the producers of the film Sarah’s Oil, Derrick Williams, to talk about the film’s impact and message of faith and fortune. The film is now playing in theaters everywhere and it is important for us to support and share our history!
More about the film is below.
SARAH’S OIL is a biographical drama inspired by Tonya Bolden’s 2014 book Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America. It tells the extraordinary true story of Sarah Rector, a girl born in the 1900s in Oklahoma Indian Territory, who believed she had oil beneath her inherited land—and was proven right, setting off a battle for ownership and legacy. But Sarah’s story is more than one of wealth: it’s about courage, community, and a fierce belief in her own worth in the face of a society determined to overlook her.
“I think the thing that so appealed about this story is that she is a child,” says writer Betsy Nowrasteh on how the story is framed. This is intrinsically Sarah’s story. “She brings that child’s energy, that child’s hope, and that uncorrupted child’s vision of things. She isn’t cynical, she isn’t skeptical. She just has a clarity of vision that adults lose.”
Directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh (The Stoning of Soraya M., The Young Messiah) and co-written with Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh, the film assembles a world-class team both behind and in front of the camera. The ensemble cast stars Zachary Levi, Sonequa Martin-Green, Garret Dillahunt, and Bridget Regan, and introduces Naya Desir-Johnson as Sarah Rector. SARAH’S OIL was shot on location in Oklahoma during Summer 2024, with key scenes filmed at historic sites in Okmulgee and Bristow, grounding the narrative in the land and legacy that shaped Sarah’s life.
Sarah’s living descendants have been integral to the development of the film and deep supporters of SARAH’S OIL.
Diane Euston, a family historian who has long documented Sarah’s place in local history, delivered a poignant interview connecting personal legacy with public record. She beautifully summarized Sarah’s spirit by saying: “This movie does such a great job of showing how the story really is about not giving up – and when somebody says no, you go find someone that’s going to say yes. Sarah did not accept ‘no’ in her life. She found a way… she always found a way.”
This film is not just a period drama. It is a powerful rendering of undertold history and a reclaiming of the past — a film powered by the legacy of Sarah Rector, the passion of her descendants, and the joint vision of Amazon MGM Studios, Kingdom Story Company, and Wonder Project.
Coming to theaters November 7, 2025, SARAH’S OIL reminds us that when the world says no, faith finds another way.
“The people who I want to see it the most are little Black girls all over the world,” says Naya, who dazzles in her breakout role. “When they see this, they might be like, ‘Wow, maybe I can do—’ like, if they have a dream in mind, they’ll be like, ‘I can do this too.’”
House of David is another successful Biblical drama released to the world through Prime Video and the collaboration between the Wonder Project and Amazon MGM studios stays true to the Biblical foundations while bringing the best of Hollywood drama. I know as a Bible teacher and minister myself that as I have read the story of David it has tremendous power to teach us about God and humanity. In seminary one of my professors explained that David’s story is one of the greatest dramas to come out of the ancient world and its ability connect deeply with people and tell a full story across the years while using very few words is truly remarkable.
In House of David Season 2 episode 1 what is only about 10 verses of the Biblical story is fully developed into an epic episode of battle and transition as the Philistines are defeated and David is brought closer to the throne of Israel. As I watched I was most impressed that details of the Biblical story that I remembered as a biblical expert were weaved into coherent characters and relationships that sustained my interest and the larger story. Seeing the nods to Saul’s descent into madness, David’s relationship with Jonathan and Saul’s daughter Michal, Samuel aging as a judge and now only prophet, and the David’s growth from shepherd to solider are all captured well. I appreciate how this telling of David’s story doesn’t shy away from the importance of prayer, faith, and God’s intervention while at the same time feeling so deeply vulnerable and human. I. think House of David does a good job balancing respecting the sacred text while building a world that is captivating for people who may not know the Bible story well.
If you are interested in a true epic drama that is also in line with your faith and convictions, House of David is a great watch. It is certainly violent without being gory, and tense without being overwhelming. It reminds me of the Lord of the Rings films in its ability to sustain characters and action, while remaining more drama than action or fantasy. If you wanted to see this epic story brought to life for our modern world using the best of production techniques, House of David is a great watch. The trailer is below and the series can be watched on Prime Video.
Gabby’s Dollhouse is a children’s entertainment phenomenon and now Gabby has her first movie! UrbanFaith interviewed “Gabby” herself, Laila Lockhart Kraner, and her grandmother “Gigi” played by the global entertainment icon Gloria Estefan about the Gabby’s Dollhouse Movie. We asked about what it was like to bring Gabby to the big screen and what Gloria would tell us about sharing joy with the next generation. Gabby’s Dollhouse the movie is now in theaters!
How To Train Your Dragon is now in theaters a live-action retelling of an award winning story. UrbanFaith Editor Allen Reynolds talked with the director, Dean DeBlois, about the new format and powerful original messages from the film. Dean talks about overcoming differences, making an impact, and what it is like to tell a familiar story in a new way. You can see How to Train Your Dragon in theaters everywhere.
Steven Spielberg is one of the most influential and successful filmmakers of all time. He is best known for creating films that spawned some of the most enduring and recognizable franchises of all time and also singular films that won critical acclaim. He is the creator of Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, and E.T. But he also was the director of Schindler’s List, Close Encounters of The Third Kind, Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, Lincoln, and Ready Player One. He simply creates powerful and profitable movies whether as the director, writer, or producer. His latest film, Disclosure Day, he keeps up his legacy of success and returns to his science fiction roots.
