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The Chosen: The Christmas special “Holy Night” arrives in Italy to celebrate the Nativity

The holiday special of The Chosen, the historical drama about the life of Jesus and composed of the short films The Shepherd and The Messengers, is being screened for free across Italy. A special event will take place in Rome on December 20th, featuring guests, music, and reflections. A celebration that brings together faith, art, and community: the global phenomenon series offers a unique holiday experience for free. 200 million viewers worldwide More than 700 million episode views A global fanbase of over 110 million people, including many in Italy Over 12 million followers on social media The Chosen is the largest crowdfunded multimedia project ever. With over 200 million unique viewers globally and more than 700 million episode views (Italy ranks fifth globally for total views and first in Europe for app downloads, with 215,000 registered users), The Chosen, the global TV series phenomenon, celebrates Christmas with a special episode titled “Holy Night”, now available in Italian. This episode, dedicated to the Nativity, is being screened for free in churches, associations, charities, and faith networks throughout Italy, offering a unique opportunity to experience the true spirit of Christmas through the power of visual storytelling. Over 1,000 screenings have already been organized (details available at www.thechosen.it/natale). “Holy Night” is a unique experience, made up of two Christmas-themed short films: The Shepherd, the first pilot episode of The Chosen, which raised over $10 million through crowdfunding, and The Messengers. Among the protagonists of this touching and engaging retelling of the Nativity are Mary (both young and older, played by Sara Anne and Vanessa Benavente, respectively), Joseph (Raj Bond), and Mary Magdalene (Elizabeth Tabish). To celebrate the arrival of “Holy Night” in Italian, a special free event open to the public will take place on December 20th at the Auditorium of the Chiesa Pio X in Rome. During the event, hosted by Monica Marangoni and Alessandro Greco, the Christmas special will be screened alongside moments of reflection and music. Confirmed guests include Don Davide Banzato, a well-known television personality and host of I sentieri del cuore on Canale 5, who will deliver a monologue about Christmas; Nico Battaglia, a contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter who will perform pieces from his repertoire; and Giovanni Zappalà, the Italian representative of The Chosen, who will share his testimony about the series’ impact in Italy and around the world. “It’s incredible how The Chosen is gaining such widespread favor with the public in Italy,” says Zappalà. “The numbers speak for themselves: the more than 7.6 million episodes viewed demonstrate the deep passion Italians have shown for the first TV series about the life of Jesus. We called upon our Italian fanbase to organize the event Christmas with The Chosen, featuring the screening of the special episode Holy Night. Around 1,000 events have already been organized throughout Italy—not only in churches but also in theaters, associations, schools, and cinemas. The The Chosen phenomenon is spreading everywhere. And there’s still time: until January 15th, anyone interested can organize a free event by making a request at www.thechosen.it/natale.” Last year, Holy Night was released in American cinemas to great success. Within the special, maestro Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo performed an emotional piece, which has since garnered over 40 million views and 2 million likes on Instagram. Starting November 25, 2024, all four seasons of The Chosen are available for free in Italian on the official app. The fifth season will be available in 2025. The Chosen, directed and co-written by Dallas Jenkins, is a grassroots project launched in the United States (funded through crowdfunding) and first released online for free in 2019. It boasts a global fanbase of over 110 million people, with a significant presence in Italy, the continental European country with the highest number of app downloads. 4o

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