If you’ve yet to experience some of these stories, relive them in Beyond the Gates of Splendor, End of the Spear, and The Grandfathers by EthnoGraphic Media.

This film, EGM’s most recent release, is a motion-graphics documentary by director Jim Hanon and producer Mart Green. It explores a young man’s struggle with his own complex heritage, and completes a trilogy that includes End of the Spear and Beyond the Gates of Splendor.

These first two films, also from award-winning director Jim Hanon and producer Mart Green, tell the unforgettable and inspiring story of the killing of five missionaries by a stone-age tribe deep in the Amazon jungle. The impact of this tragic event lives on today in families of these slain men as well as among those responsible for their deaths. Steve Saint, son of one of the five, consulted with Hanon and Green to help bring this incredible story to film.

The Grandfathers exposes both the burden and benefit of the Saint family’s legacy. Jesse Saint, Steve’s oldest son and Nate’s grandson, was not raised among the tribe like his father. He struggled to find his place under the weight of the memory of a famous grandfather he never knew and a heroic father he does not fully understand.

This all changed after Jesse traveled to the jungles of Ecuador with his family and gradually formed a special bond with Mincaye, one of the tribesmen who took part in his grandfather’s murder. Only then does he confront his family’s past and come to terms with his own destiny. And there he finds his place in this story.

Other recognition for The Grandfathers includes:

Together these films make up the Walk His Trail trilogy. This name pays tribute to the words of Mincaye, a Waodani tribal elder: “We acted badly, badly until they brought us God’s carvings. Now we walk His trail.” His words encapsulate the taking of human life by the Waodani and then the transformation of lives within the most savage tribe ever recorded.

The main subject of The Grandfathers, Jesse Saint, grandson of Nate Saint, journeys with his father Steve and the rest of his family to live with the Waodani, the very tribe who killed his grandfather many years earlier.

“I remember growing up with a picture in my mind of a beach somewhere and Indians with spears,” recalls Jesse. “I had no context for what it was or where it was. I just remember hearing that grandpa Nate died when Pop [Steve] was five.”

“He [Mincaye] knows that I’m the grandson of this man that he helped to kill,” Jesse continues. “It’s as much of a stretch for him to care for me as it is for me to care for him. He killed my grandpa. But in their culture it’s my responsibility to go back and kill him.”

But far from revenge and retaliation, Jesse and the tribal elders instead experienced the power of forgiveness and reconciliation—so much so that Jesse now refers to the elders as his grandfathers.

Writes Edwin L. Carpenter in his five-dove review for the Dove Foundation, “This is a film which will touch the hearts of viewers everywhere. The message is unmistakably powerful. This is a documentary that needs to be seen as it reveals the changing power of God’s love through the gospels and His Word.”

The interview was originally broadcast on 90.3 GraceFM on Vocal Point, a talk radio program hosted by Lesley Hurst. GraceFM is a radio station focused on Christian programming that broadcasts to the South Florida area, home to Jesse Saint. Visit GraceFM’s website by clicking here.

In the interview, Jesse, whose point of view carries the narrative of the film, and Jim discuss the history of the Saint family, the transparency of the Saint family in the making of the film, Jesse’s relationships with the Waodani tribesmen he now calls his grandfathers, the Waodani’s understanding of what it means to be a grandfather, and the message of hope Jim wants the church to receive from this film, among other topics.

(Photo above of Jim Hanon)

Grandpa Nate and four other missionaries were speared to death in the Ecuadorean jungle fifty-five years ago. Their story of ultimate sacrifice became one of unimaginable forgiveness when a young Steve Saint accompanied his family into that same jungle, not seeking revenge but reconciliation. Because of (or maybe despite) this rich history, Jesse Saint has been making his own way.

Recently, Jesse shared part of his journey with Chris Fabry of Moody Radio. Much of their time was spent talking about The Grandfathers, a new film by EthnoGraphic Media (EGM) that documents Jesse’s struggle to reconnect with the past and wrestle through the present while he sets in motion his hope for the future. A link is made though the bond Jesse forms with three tribesmen who, more than a half century ago, murdered his grandfather. Men Jesse now calls his grandfathers.

Listen to the Interview Here.

Written by Bill Oechsler, President of EthnoGraphic Media (EGM)

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In The Grandfathers, Jesse Saint’s story becomes meshed with those of his father Steve and martyred grandfather Nate when he goes to live with his grandfather’s murderers in the jungles of Ecuador. It bridges three generations of the Saint family that began with the stories of Nate and Steve chronicled in the films End of the Spear and Beyond the Gates of Splendor. Watch the trailer here.

The Grandfathers completes a trilogy produced by EthnoGraphic Media (EGM) that includes End of the Spear and Beyond the Gates of Splendor. These first two films, also from award-winning director Jim Hanon and producer Mart Green, tell the unforgettable and inspiring story of the killing of five missionaries by a stone-age tribe deep in the Amazon jungle. The impact of this tragic event lives on today in families of these slain men as well as among those responsible for their deaths.

The Grandfathers showcases both the burden and benefit of the Saint family’s legacy. Jesse Saint, Steve’s oldest son and Nate’s grandson, was not raised among the tribe like his father. He struggles to find his place under the weight of the memory of a famous grandfather he never knew, and a heroic father he does not fully understand. Jesse travels to the jungles of Ecuador with his family and gradually forms a special bond with Mincaye, one of the tribesmen who took part in his grandfather’s murder.

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The Grandfathers, directed by Jim Hanon, tells the story of Jesse Saint as he searches for his identity while living with the primitive tribe that murdered his grandfather. Click here to view the trailer.

The Dove Foundation was founded to provide family-friendly film reviews and to encourage the development and distribution of family-friendly media.