Celebrate Easter with TBN's Premiere of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ

Contact: Suzie Zahn, WDC Media, 877-862-3600 ext 3, office2@wdcmedia.com, faithwire@aol.com

LOS ANGELES, April 21, 2011 /Standard Newswire/ -- Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) -- the world's largest religious broadcaster and the most watched faith-based channel globally -- premieres The Passion of the Christ as part of its Easter line up of family-friendly programming. The award- winning feature -- directed by Mel Gibson; produced by Mel Gibson, Bruce Davey, and Steve McEveety; and written by Mel Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald -- airs throughout Holy week and the month of May.

"TBN is honored to be premiering this astonishing motion picture as believers celebrate Holy week with Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem," says Paul Crouch Jr., TBN's chief of staff.

Gibson brings the struggle and sacrifice of Jesus to life like nothing ever seen before. The Passion Of The Christ largely follows the Gospel accounts of the final hours of the life of Jesus Christ. From his agonizing turmoil in the Garden of Gethsemane and savage scourging at the hands of the Romans, until the final moments of his brutal crucifixion, Jesus is portrayed in all of his humanity while flashbacks of his life reveal his true divine nature.

The film climaxes with dramatic imagery of His ultimate sacrifice, dying on the cross at Calvary, and bringing the redemption of humankind and the ultimate defeat of Satan. The film ends with the glorious resurrection of Jesus from the grave on Easter Sunday.

The cast of The Passion of the Christ stars Jim Caviezel as Jesus, the Christ, and includes Monica Bellucci as Magdalen and Maia Morgenstern as Mary. Interestingly, Caviezel hails from a close-knit Catholic family; one of his main interests growing up was his faith. In 2009, Caviezel made a special appearance at TBN's Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida.

Throughout his professional life, Caviezel has always been drawn to truth when selecting projects. It is in the Scripture that he finds the truth that has long been a source of strength and constant inspiration.

"We've had Jim Caviezel's as a guest at TBN on several occasions," says Crouch. "Jim's humility and genuine character always shine through."

The Passion of the Christ received support and endorsement from well known evangelical leaders and representatives including Billy Graham, James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Campus Crusade for Christ, the National Association of Evangelicals, and many others. The consensus is that the film provides an opportunity to share Christianity in a way contemporary viewers can identify with.

During its initial theatrical release in 2004, The Passion of the Christ grossed in excess of $600 million, making it one of the top five movies of the year. It was nominated for three academy awards, and won numerous other awards including the People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Drama (2004) and the GMA Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year (2004) for The Passion of the Christ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. The day the film was released on DVD in North America, over 2.4 million copies of the film had been sold by midday.

The Passion of the Christ airs Friday, April 22nd at 4:30PM and 7:30PM; Saturday, April 23rd at 2PM; Sunday, April 24th at 4PM and 7PM; Sunday, May 8th at 4PM; Wednesday, May 18th at 6:30PM; Saturday, May 28th at 6PM; and Sunday, May 29th at 7:30PM.

Air times are PST. The schedule is subject to change without notice. Go to www.tbn.org/watch-us/broadcast-schedule for up-to-date air times.

The film is rated MPAA-V for graphic violence. Viewer caution is advised.

About Trinity Broadcasting Network
Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is the world's largest religious network and America's most watched and requested faith channel. Each day TBN offers 24 hours of commercial-free inspirational programming that appeals to viewers from a wide variety of denominations and backgrounds. Beginning in 1973 as a single UHF station in southern California, TBN now reaches every major continent via 78 satellites and more than 18,000 television and cable affiliates worldwide. In the United States, TBN is available to 92 percent of the total households. Its website receives millions of visitors monthly. In addition to TBN, the network owns and operates ten networks, including the Church Channel, JCTV youth network, TBN Enlace USA Spanish language network, Smile of a Child children's network, the Arabic language Healing Channel, and Nejat TV in Farsi. For more information on TBN, visit www.tbn.org and www.tbnnetworks.com.